Two Lives, One Choice
by Evil Kitten1
Summary: Berwald lives a normal life under constant abuse from Tino, his wife. But then one day he meets an interesting individual who'll change his life forever... and plunge his family into danger thanks to Gilbert's tyrannical boss of a strip club.  Rated M for sex
1. Where It All Began

Disclaimer: All characters (Including Prussia's Awesomeness) belong to Hidekaz Himaruya! IKEA isn't mine either.

A/N: No, I am NOT in love with CaterinaSicily, as a CERTAIN Reviewer was implying (curse you, anonymous reviewer! :D) I do love them, but only as a friend! X3

Warning: Implied (non-descriptive) rape and abuse

Plot: Berwald lives a seemingly normal life. He works hard in IKEA, he lives in a posh penthouse apartment with his wife and adopted son and not to mention he's wealthy thanks to his position as a manager of the company and is highly successful thanks to his P.A. Toris. But under the tip of the iceberg, Berwald is constantly abused by Tino and he isn't sure that his adoptive son Peter really sees him as a dad. Everything in Berwald's life just goes over a tiring and saddening routine until one day, everything dramatically changes…

* * *

><p>Berwald had never felt so stressed. His day was normal, his work was normal, but of all days he felt like doing nothing more than falling over on the sofa just to nap and rest all the stress away. He swears that one day he'll drop dead from not resting enough. It's ironic, considering that Sweden is said to be a country where the work-life balance for individuals is one of the best in the world.<p>

He opened the electronic-activated door to his penthouse apartment and was greeted with a dimly-lit living room. It was tidied thanks to Tino, his wife of 5 years, but that would mean that he doesn't have work today and he's home…

Great. As well as all the pent-up stress, his stomach started to act up and twist as if a large hand is squishing it. Beads of cold sweat ran down his neck as he walked (cautiously) into the room and closed the door behind him, dropping his suitcase by the sofa as his eyes warily scanned the room, looking for the smooth blonde mop of hair belonging to his wife.

"Oh, Ber~! I heard the door open."

His heart skipped a beat and his pulse raced more quickly.

Tino appeared behind him, holding a carrot in one hand and a short knife in the other, while wearing a sweet smile on his face.

"T'no…" Berwald mumbled and slouched his shoulders a little to try to relax.

Tino wrapped his arms around Berwald's body without putting the carrot and knife down and hugged him from behind, breathing in deeply. "I missed you today. I always miss you so much…"

The tall Swede lifted a hand and rested it on the hand which was holding the carrot. He may be right-handed, but he'd rather risk his weak hand than—

"You finish work at 5. Why did you come home an hour later?" Tino's mumbling was poisonously sweet. It had a bitter undertone it, making his sentence sound as if it's been laced delicately with arsenic. "You know I hate it when you come home late." Berwald could feel a cold metal edge touching his neck gently.

_Relax, breath normally, relax, breath normally… imagine yourself listening to the ocean waves and seagulls…_

"Th' traffic was bad," Berwald simply said, feeling the knife blade touch his Adam's apple with each syllable he pronounced. "Th' car must b' getting' old. It's slow."

Tino's arms released Berwald from his gentle grip and the knife was removed. The Finnish man walked back to the kitchen, carrying on with chopping more vegetables to prepare for making soup tonight.

The Swede just couldn't understand his wife sometimes. Today was his lucky day. Whenever he's late, Tino would go mad and throw all sorts of things at him. It used to be things like throwing the sofa cushions (and then they laughed at the futility of the situation and moved on) but then somewhere, Tino became more violent. He once threw a mug and it broke upon hitting Berwald's temple, knocking him out and leaving a bloody mess. Tino then got him to A&E, sobbing and telling the staff that his husband bumped into the shelf and the objects on it all fell on him… but of course it was a lie. When they got home (with nothing more than bandages around his head) Berwald started the argument, demanding why Tino had to throw a mug at him, but the Finn said he had enough of Berwald not being loyal enough. The Swede dismissed it as a one-off petty argument, but that night, however, he must've been hit on the head hard again because when he woke up, he was tied to his bed, with his bare back exposed, and Tino was straddling him, holding a knife. That night was hazy, but it was painful and forced. Berwald wasn't blindfolded so he could see what kind of power Tino had over him. And it wasn't just the knife which was used to carve 'MINE' into his lower back that caused him the most pain…

Berwald took a deep shuddering breath. He didn't know where it had gone all wrong. But he wouldn't dare think of questioning Tino. He loves him! They're married; they even have a (adopted) son who doesn't know about his 'mama' hurting his 'papa'. Plus, Berwald has his job as the manager at IKEA which has become extremely popular during the past 3 months, so business is good and money is pouring into the workers' bank accounts like a powerful continuous waterfall. The only worry he has is his wife's abusive nature… but he can't afford to waste time worrying about the faded scars on his body or whatever is waiting for him in bed at night, he just has to live life normally for the sake of his love for him…

"Berwald? Is work going okay?" Tino suddenly asked from the kitchen area as if he's making a casual comment about the weather.

Berwald snapped to attention. It's a habit he developed thanks to Tino. Even hearing his voice makes him shaky, though his stoic face doesn't show it.

"Ja… work is norm'l… W' have new workers, but they have a lot t' learn…" Berwald was lying about his new workers. In fact, they're the most competent bunch of Swedes he hired for ages. Even his current workers seem to be lacking in socialising with customers, and that isn't good now that more people are buying from IKEA…

Tino laughed drily. "New guys are bound to be useless until YOU train them into submission!" He stopped stirring the contents of the soup pot and sent a smirk to his husband's direction. "Of course, I'll be submissive ANYTIME when it comes to you and our bed…"

Berwald sent him a weary, forced grin as he went to sit down and switched on the 50" plasma flatscreen TV. Deep down, he's trying not to say what's on his mind. He isn't afraid of saying how things really are between him and Tino. He doesn't want to say anything to destroy their strong relationship…

On TV, a Breaking News report suddenly flashed across the screen and the cameras changed to a scene with a warehouse in the background being examined by police and fire engine workers.

"News are just in about the latest killing of a stripper who was found brutally murdered and dumped in this abandoned factory in the early hours of this morning," the news reporter man read out his report. "It is not officially confirmed whether this incident is connected to the last 3 murders in which the victims were sex workers, but for now the police are investigating possible suspects and are willing to listen to ANY witness reports…"

Tino sat next to Berwald, watching the news with disgust. "It serves those prostitutes right. They're a bunch of homewreckers who do nothing more useful than pass around STDs…"

Berwald's used to his wife's cynical attitude. But it's not really right to say something like tha-

Tino sidled up next to his taller husband, hand rubbing his thigh with a playful smile. "Hey, Peter's at his friend's house for a sleepover tonight… how about we have some fun together once we finished dinner?"

Berwald's heart jumped a little in excitement, but also fear. He knows what'll happen. It'll be the same like most nights whether Peter is at his friend's house or in his own warm bed, quietly sleeping away in his 'perfect' family home while Berwald's tied down (like always, literally and metaphorically) and mercilessly pounded into by Tino, while the Finn whispers his pledges of love every time.

Dinner was very quiet apart from the occasional small talk, but Berwald doesn't feel like eating. He's anticipating tonight too much. If he had friends, he'd make a split-second excuse to get out of the penthouse apartment and-

_Riiiiing~! Riiiiing~!_

Tino groaned and put his fork down, standing up off his seat. "Who on earth could be calling at this time?"

He answered the phone (irritated), but his features softened into a genuine warm smile. Berwald stared at his features, trying HARD to remember the last time he had seen him smile for real and not for tormenting Berwald's shaky soul.

"Hello! Yes, it is… what? He isn't…? They just took him right now?" Tino paused, listening and nodding. "Okay, we'll be right there. Thank you. Bye, bye." He put the phone down, sighing and turned to Berwald, crossing his arms.

"Peter accidentally bumped his head and he was taken to hospital. It's just a cut, but they have to make sure," he explained. He murmured darkly into Berwald's ear. "Too bad we can't spend our lovely night together, huh? There's always tomorrow…"

The anticipation was killing Berwald inside and out. It was like growing icicles had started to pierce into his heart.

* * *

><p>The two got to the hospital and met their son, who had just been operated on and now has a bandage around his head. It reminded Berwald of Tino's first assault on him and he shuddered, suddenly scooping Peter into a hug as if to reassure himself more than the confused boy.<p>

"Hey, dad, I'm feeling better now! You don't have to worry!" Peter protested, almost yelling into Berwald's suit and the man let him go.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, but it was very silly of you to get into such an accident!" Tino scolded the boy before hugging him too.

At that moment, a nurse came along and asked for Tino to sign some papers so that Peter could be officially discharged. Tino said he'd take over and leave Berwald to get the car ready to leave. So Berwald was now walking across the car park, which was almost deserted at this time at night.

He stopped when he bumped into someone by accident who swore loudly and stumbled, turning around to face him with a grin.

"Hey watch it, big guy! I know all the guys love me, but that's too much!"

Berwald just stared at the man. He was wearing a thick black coat, but it didn't hide the man's startling silvery hair and shocking red eyes. When he took the step back, he seemed to be limping on one leg. His face wasn't angled, but it wasn't long or round either – more like in-between. But all Berwald was thinking was that the man looked gorgeous. Even in the glaring lighting of the car park lampposts, the man looks stunning to him. The man just quipped a quick smile and a wink before hobbling off on the bad leg towards the hospital.

Long after the mysterious man went into the hospital, Tino and Peter eventually walked back together towards the car, chatting and laughing, only to be left wondering why Berwald seemed so spaced-out as he sat in the car, resting his head in his hand.

Berwald knows Tino will demand for answers later, but for the first time in ages, the Swede felt like his stress is floating away, however temporary it was.


	2. Glimpse Of Silver And Crimson

Disclaimer: All characters (Including Prussia's Awesomeness) belong to Hidekaz Himaruya! IKEA isn't mine either, and the Starlight Glitter club is made-up by me.

A/N: Whee! Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter, people! Enjoy reading this chapter! ^_^

Note: The story is set in Sweden, so the currency is Krona.

* * *

><p>Berwald felt as if Lady Luck was on his side. When he and Tino took Peter home and tucked him in bed, Berwald was tense as he slid into his and Tino's double-bed, ready for whatever stabs or punches Tino has prepared for him. But instead, he felt his wife's bare arms wrap round his waist and pull him into a lazy hug. He felt Tino's lips press against his back before he dropped off to sleep, snoring lightly.<p>

Berwald was stunned, but his heart just melted at the warmth and love he felt for the first time in years. Instead of facing away, he turned himself around carefully to avoid waking him up and hugged Tino back, pressing a kiss to his forehead and gazed at his expression.

Tino's a child compared to him. He's just so short, that he could only reach Berwald's chest if they're standing up, yet they both have a 3 year age gap between them; with Berwald being 28 and Tino being 25. Even Peter is going to be taller than Tino by the time he starts High School. Berwald and his wife have only been together for 5 years, yet it felt like forever with the rare moments when they do give each other affection.

With all these thoughts, Berwald feels fonder about his family. Maybe he'll have a talk with Tino and try to find out why he's inflicting all the abuse against him and then they'll try to get help from a psychologist or a councillor… to save their marriage...

With the belief that things will get better, Berwald feel asleep.

* * *

><p>It was morning when Berwald and Tino woke up at the same time because they heard a little snore coming from between their bodies. Peter was lying on his back, sleeping away.<p>

Tino giggled. "Peter… its morning, wake up, sweet." He gently shook the boy's shoulder and he grumbled.

"I don't wanna get up, I'm so warm…"

Berwald smiled a little and he also shook Peter's shoulder. "G't up. You woke us up. It's m'rning."

"Aww…" Peter sat up; pouting and he crawled off the bed, holding his green bunny toy close to him as he rubbed the sleep off his eyes.

"I think he misses Arthur; Peter told me that he used to sleep with Arthur whenever he has nightmares…" Tino whispered as he got up.

"I'll g' talk t' him…" Berwald put on a robe and left the room, following his son into the kitchen area where he sat at the polished table, reading some manga that their Japanese neighbour kindly gave him (after it was translated). "Peter?"

The boy looked up and then he looked at his manga again.

Berwald sat next to him. "Is something th' matt'r? Did you h've another nightmare?"

Peter didn't say anything, but he did look away from his manga and glanced at the stairs that lead to his parent's bedroom.

"…I had a bad dream that mama wouldn't stop stabbing you and you were screaming," Peter whispered, looking straight in his eyes.

Icicles jiggled in Berwald's stomach uncomfortably. "Why would you dream that?"

Peter gulped a little and quickly looked at their bedroom room, which was slightly ajar. "Because…" he whispered, "I saw your back last night. You have so many scars and cuts on your back…"

Berwald's expression was neutral, except that he paled because he knows that this poor boy's mind will be as scarred as his body if he finds out the truth.

"There are a lot of nasty people in the world…" Berwald started gently, silently killing himself for lying when he added: "…But your mama is lovely, kind, passionate and protective. He'll never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose."

Peter's eyes widened. "Mama hurts you by accident?"

Berwald couldn't stop a laugh. "No, he never hurts me," he lied. "I'm just… a very clumsy person in my own time."

Peter did not ask any more questions as Tino walked over to them, giving Peter a quick kiss on his head and kissed Berwald on his lips.

"What would you two like for breakfast?" he asked brightly.

As Peter enthusiastically asked for his favourite cereal, Berwald switched on the TV where the news reporter from yesterday is standing at the entrance to a rubbish skip in the countryside near the city.

"Breaking news just in that the body of a sex worker was found in the early hours of this morning by two dog walkers when their dogs ran off and lead their owners to the body, which had been burned so badly, that it's going to take a lot of forensic scientists to identify the body," the news reporter announced. "The police believe it was a sex worker because their ID was found showing that the victim could possibly have worked for the Starlight Glitter stripper club. It is unknown whether the murder of the victim found yesterday worked at the same club or not, but for now, the police are asking for witnesses to come forward about any suspicious activity…"

"God, they found more of them?" Tino asked in disgust as he gave Peter a bowl of cereal. Tino said 'them' as if he's trying not to swear.

"Apparently…" Berwald mumbled, still watching the TV. On screen, the charred remains of a body was loaded onto a stretcher and put into the back of a forensics van. There were people surrounding the area, trying to have a peek but the police were keeping them back, shouting something about 'contaminating the crime scene'. Among the crowd of visitors, the sight of a mop of silvery hair made Berwald choke on his toast and cough violently.

"Whoa! Papa! Are you alright?" Peter exclaimed and reached over to slap his dad's back to help him not choke to death. Tino have him a concerned look.

"Ber, are you alright?"

The tall Swede took a deep breath and drank some water before glancing at the TV, but the news had changed to another headline, talking about the worldwide success of a manga artist.

"Hey! That's Mr Honda!" Peter exclaimed happily and he gently held his copy of manga as if it's holy. "He should be releasing the 4th volume of The Super Asian Five soon!" He looked so happy, his eyes were sparkling.

_'It's that man again! What was he doing by the crime scene?'_ Berwald thought.

"Berwald, you're going to be late…" Tino remarked, glancing at the clock above the cooker.

Berwald immediately got into his bedroom and got changed, grabbing his briefcase and ran out before hugging Peter quickly and kissing Tino on the lips.

"See you later!"

"Bye, Papa!"

Berwald never felt so at ease, but when Peter was watching Mr Honda being interviewed on the TV, Tino gave Berwald the look. It was the look of Tino when he's going to hurt the Swede later. The supressed feelings of terror and fear resurfaced in his conscience and Berwald started to shake before closing the door.

* * *

><p>The look of Tino's face terrified Berwald throughout the day. Even the hustle and bustle of customers in IKEA didn't take his mind off his wife as he was in his office, sorting out finances. Things are looking really good and the usual bank details were sent to him to sort out and even received fan mail from the people who lives in the city and are thankful that the customer service was excellent.<p>

"I need a break…" Berwald mumbled and rested his forehead on his desk.

At lunchtime, he couldn't eat the sandwiches that Tino made for him because he felt so nervous about the look he gave him. His employees wondered why their boss didn't eat as they sat with him in the staff room. One employee, Annika, was worried enough to leave him her delicious chocolate cupcake that she made for herself before she left to work her other shift. Berwald protested that he'll be all right, but the girl insists that he should have the cupcake.

"Fan, Annika makes brilliant cakes too…" another worker mumbled, staring at the cupcake with jealousy.

Berwald was more than glad to push the cupcake across the table to be eaten by the happy worker.

"Mind y' language, I speak Swedish," Berwald raised an eyebrow and the worker laughed nervously.

That little incident lifted Berwald's spirits a little, but that was it. That was the highlight of his day.

* * *

><p>Soon, it became evening and the city is drowned in darkness with pinprick street lamps illuminating the roads and streets. Less people went to the IKEA building and the workers are looking forward to finishing their shifts so they could get out and go home. But Berwald wasn't looking forward to tonight. He knows that Tino will be waiting for him in their expensive penthouse apartment…<p>

"Hey, boss!" a worker exclaimed loudly. It was Alfred, one of the newbies. "Where're the cleaning supplies again? Someone puked over the bed with the long weird name!"

Berwald turned to the American, expressionless. "Ask Matthew."

Alfred blinked. "Who?"

"Y-Your brother…?" Berwald sweatdropped. Alfred and Matthew have different last names, but they ARE related, right…?

"OH! My brother from another mother! Of course! Ahahahaha!" Alfred laughed and he dashed off.

Oh well. Berwald employed Alfred because the kid has a lot of energy for someone who's 19… and energy is what every worker needs to work in a massive building like IKEA...

Closing time has arrived and all the doors closed, leaving only the staff entrances open. As the workers gathered their coats and belongings, they had last-second chats before leaving while some examined rooms before locking the doors. Berwald closed the door to his office and sighed, gripping the handle of his briefcase tightly, anticipating tonight.

Someone tapped his shoulder lightly. It was Francis, the pervert of the workplace. Of course, it wasn't Berwald who came up with the title…

"Bonjour, boss~!" Francis winked, "you look tense! Busy day, was it?"

Berwald kept an expressionless face on. "It w's."

"Oh, but of course it would! You're the best boss of the building, after all!" Francis laughed.

"What do you want?"

Francis blinked. "Nothing~ I'm just having a nice chat with the best boss in the world~!"

Berwald knew it was a lie. Not every worker knows he's married. Yes, Francis has THAT kind of reputation, even if it almost landed him in prison for sexual harassment. ALMOST…

So they're just walking out the building as Francis chatted on about his day and some gorgeous girl he met, only to find out she's a lesbian but they had a great chat as they spoke in French for almost an hour, which is what Berwald disapproves of the most. Sure, if the customer wants to know a lot about certain products, then its fine but only if it's about IKEA brands and not some social chit-chat… Not that the boss pointed out since Francis seemed to be having fun chatting away to him.

"It is dark… be careful getting home, boss," Francis nodded before taking off down the street.

Berwald looked straight up at the sky, hoping to see celestial beings, but unfortunately, it was too cloudy and the light pollution of the city wasn't making it any better.

And here, saying 'too cloudy' often means that it's going to-

Pitter-patter…

-Yes, it just started raining and Berwald realised he forgot his freaking umbrella. Fan-F*CKING-tastic…

Miserably, he walked to the car park, soaking wet.

"HEY!"

In the far corner of the car park, trapped between two people and a concrete wall, was a person with silvery hair.

Berwald's heart almost stopped. He stared at the individual, who seemed to be in a fighting position.

"Get the hell away from me! You didn't pay to have quality time with me! This is kidnapping!" the silverette spat.

"It isn't since we paid back at the club!" one of the men rebutted and stepped towards the man.

"Oh we paid alright! We paid 5000* Krona to your boss so we could have everything on the menu from you…" the other man said lecherously, grabbing the albino's arm and licked his lips. "Saadi, get his other arm, we'll have some fun…"

"Let go you creeps!" the albino yelled and kicked the one man's knee, but his partner slapped him. "Agh!"

"Shut up, you bitch! We paid perfectly good money to get you and not those ugly-ass sluts at the club!" they spat.

"My friends are not ugly! Maybe if you guys stopped slobbering over me, then you'd know how awesome they are!" the silver-haired man argued.

Berwald immediately ran over. "Leave him alone!" he shouted.

The men holding the silverette captive paused and looked at Berwald in horror.

"Shit! Let's get outta here!" one man whispered, but he still had a grip on the albino's wrist.

"No way! I'll deal with him…" his friend whispered back and sent a formal smile to Berwald, but the fake smile wasn't fooling him. He knows what a fake smile looks like. "How can we help you, sir?"

Berwald just glared at him, even though the man looks blurry thanks to these stupid glasses getting blurry from the heavy rain. Berwald is soaked to the bone, his day was bad, his stomach just grumbled from a lack of food and he is now royally p*ssed because he is going to face Hell from Tino for not eating the sandwiches that he made him.

"Let that man go and I won't call the police and report you," Berwald said.

"What? What have we done?" the man was trying to sound calm, but he was so impatient, he's quivering.

Berwald stepped to walk around the man, but the man suddenly pushed him away, shoving Berwald in the chest and winded him.

"Back off you weirdo!" the man growled and his hand curled into a fist. He threw the punch at Berwald's face, but the taller man caught it in his hand easily and twisted the hand painfully, making the attacker scream in pain.

"I'll let go and you w'll run away w'th your friend…" Berwald growled dangerously, twisting the man's hand, "and never b'ther that man again!"

The man just whimpered and yelled in pain as he felt his wrist breaking by the freak strength. "L-LET GO OF ME!" he screamed and Berwald pulled him towards him and punched him in the stomach, knocking the man out and he crumpled to the ground.

Meanwhile, the man's accomplice stared in horror as his friend collapsed to the ground like wet cardboard. While he looked on, the albino he held by the arm suddenly punched him in the face, breaking his nose and he fell back, slamming his head against the wall before sliding down to lie on the wet ground.

Berwald stared at the albino just as he knocked the accomplice out and he slowly walked over to him.

The man's red eyes pierced through the hazy heavy rain and met Berwald's gaze. The albino growled and backed up, but Berwald lunged and grabbed his hand. "Wait! I'm n't gonna hurt you!"

But the albino hissed and glared at Berwald like a feral cat. He may as well have been a feral since his clothes were ripped and bloodied and his legs had scratch marks at them. Even his silver hair was dirtied and matted thanks to the rain.

"What makes you think I'm going to trust you after these freaks tried to rape me?"

The albino's accent made him sound rough, yet there was a light undertone to it.

"I stopped them…" Berwald mumbled, transfixed by the way those crimson eyes glared at him. With the rain pounding hard against the ground, he may as well be talking to the deaf, but this albino heard him loud and clear.

"Correction – you stopped one, I stopped the other," he corrected him and pulled his hand away and walked away, but he stopped and coughed harshly. He coughed so hard, he keeled over.

He felt something on his shoulders and back and he turned sharply, but it was just his rescuer putting his suit jacket over him to try to keep him warm.

"Where do you live? I'll take you home," the Swede said with his deep voice. His arm was still around his shoulders.

The albino just stared at him. It was no longer a glare, but he was still apprehensive. "What's… your name?" he mumbled, turning his gaze away.

"It's Berwald Oxenstierna… but you can call me Berwald."

"Berwald…" Saying the name sounded foreign, but it was worth trying to say it. "I'm Gilbert Beilschmidt."

"G'lbert," Berwald said, nodding. "Nice name…"

Gilbert blushed heavily. "B-But my work name is Silver Starr, so don't call me Gilbert if you see at my workplace!"

Berwald was curious about this 'workplace' Gilbert works at, but now's not the time to worry.

"You're going to catch a cold. Let me take you home or we can call the police-"

"NO!" Gilbert exclaimed, shaking his head, "it'll mean trouble if they find out where I work! Just... take me home..."

* * *

><p>As Berwald got into his car, Gilbert turned to him and said: "Hold on, I need to clean up the crime scene a little…"<p>

It was the smirk that Gilbert had when he said that was what worried Berwald the most, but he patiently waited for about 5 minutes before the albino returned, sitting next to him and shutting the passenger door. "Okay! I live at the flats in the Flower Gardens street…"

"The cul-de-sac, I know," Berwald nodded. It was the most run-down area of the city where drug gangs make their trades and the council don't bother cleaning the place up because there are so many kids there who live wildly along with single parents and ambulances will often get robbed of medicines and equipment to be sold for money to buy drugs or alcohol. Tino already said how much he hates that area and wonders why the city council hasn't done anything to clear out all the druggies, the feckless single moms living on benefits and all the stealing kids who live in messy flats. Despite the pretty name for the street, there isn't a single plant that has grown besides dandelions and there are always bits of litter flying around. Berwald wonders what kind of life Gilbert leads…

The rain still thundered down as Berwald drove past the street he usually drives down to get towards home, but his heart was hammering against his chest. He knows Tino will be furious if he knew Berwald was taking someone home, even if they looked like they needed medical attention.

He glanced at Gilbert's bare legs. The poor man was only wearing a ripped shirt and boxers and no socks or shoes either. Berwald turned the heating system on and he could hear Gilbert sigh in relief, hugging Berwald's jacket close to his body as the inside of the car warmed up.

* * *

><p>Berwald was worried when he drove to the Flower Garden's estate. His car was expensive and he doesn't want anyone stealing it, but there was nothing he could do right now.<p>

"Here! I live in this block!" Gilbert announced and Berwald parked the car, getting out. He grumbled about the rain being annoying, but Gilbert was telling him to come in as he locked the car.

They went through the main doors and saw the grey walls, grey steps, blank doors… The only thing that's colourful about the building were the swearwords that are written on the walls.

A door suddenly opened and an old woman walked out and started shouting. "Stop slamming those doors! I ought to report this to the council!"

Gilbert rolled his eyes. "Ignore her," he hissed to Berwald.

"How indecent!" the old woman gasped. "You shouldn't be running around naked like that! I'll call the police for that!"

"Go ahead, you old hag, I bet they'll enjoy staring at me while the kids steal the policecar! Kesesese!" Gilbert snickered and bounded up the stone stairs, followed by a worried Berwald as the old lady ranted on and on.

They climbed up more of the concrete stairs until they made it to a solid door and Gilbert searched under the worn-down doormat to get the key.

"That's not safe, what if someone gets that key?" Berwald asked, frowning.

"Pfft! Then they'd face my wrath! …I got nothing valuable anyway," Gilbert rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Come in!"

Berwald liked that Gilbert grew to trust him enough to allow him into his apartment, but he was shocked by the differences between his smart clean apartment compared to Gilbert's dull, untidy and SMALL apartment. It looked like it could barely fit the sofa and the poor excuse for a '80s TV in what's supposed to be the living room and the kitchen could barely fit one human adult in.

Gilbert raised his eyebrows as if he's daring Berwald to ask questions, but the Swede didn't say anything.

"It's not much, but it's still… well, not much," Gilbert sighed. "It was nothing compared to my awesome home back in Germany. Oh, and take your clothes off."

Berwald choked on his spit and stared at the albino. "What?"

Gilbert smirked devilishly. "You'll catch a cold. I got a bathroom, so feel free to take a shower while you're at it. At least I paid for the hot water this month…"

"O-Oh, right…" Berwald mumbled, flustered and he went to down the short corridor and noticed the bathroom door was ajar and he went in. There was already a pile of towels in there and he closed the door behind him.

The bathroom was tiny. There's just the bath with a showerhead installed above it, a sink and a toilet next to it. The floor was bare and boarded and suspiciously squeaked at every footstep Berwald took. Tino would be horrified if they had this kind of bathroom in their penthouse apartment…

Berwald undressed himself and put the clothes in a neat pile by the door, which he noticed was slightly open. The lock wasn't working and the handle was missing.

"Don't worry! I won't peek! The door is crap!" Gilbert shouted from down the corridor. "I accidentally knocked it off months ago!"

Like Berwald thought earlier: What kind of life is Gilbert leading…?

* * *

><p>The apartment may be shit, but thank god the shower is working and the water was blissfully warm.<p>

Berwald sighed, shuddering from having the warmth spread throughout his body, feeling as if all his stress is melting away thanks to the hot droplets of water. He breathed evenly, feeling like falling asleep, but no... that would be rude since he's at Gilbert's apartment and he's the guest.

After a couple of minutes, he finished and got out, noticing that his clothes were taken. He presumed Gilbert took them to be dried. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked out, wondering where the silverette went.

Berwald peeked in the kitchen where he noticed Gilbert hanging his clothes on a thin clothes horse, concentrating as if he's trying not to wrinkle the expensive material with upmost care. Underneath the rough exterior, Berwald could see that Gilbert has an eye for details.

"…I know my arse is awesome, but do you really have to stare at it?" Gilbert stood up and turned with a grin.

Berwald blushed. "I-I finished…"

"Great! My turn! I won't be long… and help yourself to eat something out my fridge! Oh, but the beer is totally mine!" Gilbert left the kitchen area.

Berwald doesn't really want to eat anything at a stranger's home, but his stomach was growling. He knows what the rooms are like in this apartment so far, so now he's naturally worried about what's in the fridge…

He opened the fridge door and saw that every shelf was filled to the brim with different kinds of foodstuff. Huh. Not as bad as he thought. He helped himself to an apple and sat down in the living room, noticing there's more junk than useful stuff scattered about on the floor. He noticed a few photographs of Gilbert lying around on the crowded floor, but he wasn't alone in them. There were different kinds of people in each photograph, but most of them have a blonde man with Gilbert. On the back of the photo, there was something written down.

'Me and my awesome bruder Ludwig in Berlin, 2007. Best. Beer Festival. EVER.'

_'So he's got a brother…'_ Berwald thought with a smile._ 'Mine is living in Denmark with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's younger brother… I hope they're all doing okay…'_

"Great photo isn't it?"

Berwald looked up to see Gilbert standing there with a soft smile; he was only wearing a towel around his waist. "There was a beer festival so we went out and got wasted, but I definitely remembered most of the day trip. My best memories come from spending time with my family."

"…Really."

"Yeah! And that was the best day because Ludwig proposed to his boyfriend that day and now they're living in Germany, married! Kesese…" Gilbert sighed. "I wish I could see him again, but I couldn't." He hugged the towel to his soaking body, looking depressed. "My stupid boss won't allow it. As long as I'm working in the Starlight Glitter club, then my arse belongs there."

Starlight Glitter club. Berwald's heart skipped a beat. That place was mentioned in the news! A sex worker from there was killed… and he saw Gilbert on the news looking at the crime scene…

"That place… it was on the ne-"

"I know," Gilbert snapped, irritated, "some girls tried to leave, but the boss wasn't having any of it. And there's no evidence to show he ordered for the crimes to be committed…" He growled. "I'm the best in the business, so it makes me trying to leave even harder!" His tone of voice rose higher. "I just want to see my bruder again and stay out of trouble! Is it too much to ask to see your family again?" He was close to crying and keeled over on the floor, trying to hide his face.

Berwald's heart lurched for him in sympathy. He leaned over and lifted Gilbert's face to look at his glassy red eyes. Their noses barely touched.

All of a sudden, he looked like the most vulnerable man in the world who needed someone to hold him.

"I'll help you," Berwald whispered. Gilbert squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head weakly.

"No, n-no you can't…"

"I want to…" Berwald whispered again. He wanted to help the silver beauty. He never felt his body or soul grow so warm for someone he just met.

And without warning, the gap between their lips closed and their eyes shut into the gentle kiss.

* * *

><p>AN: *5000 Krona = £465.97 (British Pounds). I don't actually know how much people pay for strippers to 'perform' for them, but I made Gilbert pretty expensive ;)

When Gilbert says 'the flats' he really means 'apartments'. In England, we call them flats even though they're tall buildings. Flats are often associated with people who cannot afford to buy their own houses or they are poor or (sadly enough) single parents who try hard to raise their child/children.

Hah~! Next chapter will be full of nothing but sex, sex and delicious sex, so keep an eye out! ;)


	3. Sleeping With The CrimsonEyed Stranger

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya!

A/N: Okays… nothing plot-related here, so if you're not keen on steamy sex between two guys, then leave this page now ;)

* * *

><p>Berwald used to think that if time-travel was possible, then he'd go back in time and hit himself for making stupid mistakes in the past. But if time-travel was possible, then he'd go back in time and ask himself why he's kissing a stripper when he has a wife and kid back home. Not that he'd cockblock himself or anything, because that was his crazy Danish brother's job.<p>

But their simple kiss changed when Gilbert nibbled Berwald's bottom lip a little and the Swede sighed, parting his lips and allowing Gilbert to kiss him deeper, tongues touching each other hesitantly. Gilbert didn't seem to want any hesitation, so he parted from Berwald (and hearing him whining in protest much to the German's amusement) and stood up and sat himself on Berwald's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"I forgot to thank you for saving me earlier," the albino whispered, pecking Berwald's cheek and looking into his river-green eyes. "Danke."

Berwald was just enchanted by Gilbert. Everything about him just appealed to him, even if they just met. It was either Gilbert's mischievous and impish nature or his earthy beer-like scent that ignited exciting feelings within him.

Their faces were close again, breaths mingling and hearts racing with unbridled excitement. Berwald didn't realised his hands were resting on Gilbert's bare waist until the albino kissed him again and wrapped his thin arms tighter around Berwald's neck. Berwald caressed Gilbert's hips and up his back as both their lips worked against each other, tasting each other, loving each other.

During their slow making-out session, their towels slid off their waist's leaving their burning arousals free and exposed, grinding against each and leaving their owners hissing into their kiss, feeling raw passion build up in their heated bodies.

"Berwald…" Gilbert groaned shakily as the Swede started biting at his collarbone, leaving red marks to bloom. Their bodies were still moving, grinding, against each other leaving both a panting sweating mess. "M-My room… now…"

Berwald stood up and carried Gilbert to his bedroom (best part of having a small apartment, you're somewhere in a second), throwing him down on the bed and he crawled over the albino, immediately kissing him passionately again.

"Wow you're horny…" Gilbert purred when the Swede left another love bite on his shoulder. Sure enough, Berwald's erection was large. And Gilbert was silently wondering if he could fit…

"I could s'y the same think t' ya," Berwald whispered back huskily into his ear and licked the shell, causing Gilbert to shudder uncontrollably. The other man smiled. "D' you like that?"

"N-No…" Gilbert lied and suddenly cried out when Berwald nipped his ear lobe and licked it. "A-ah… stop! Damn… uh…"

Berwald knows he's going to hell for cheating on Tino, but right now, he doesn't give a damn.

Beneath him, Gilbert was panting from having his ear lobe nipped. 'Score…' Berwald thought with a smirk when he realised it was his erogenous zone and he moved to Gilbert's other ear and gave it the same lustrous treatment; he licked it painfully slowly and moaned when Gilbert cried out from pleasure.

"Stop f*cking teasing me, you arsehole!" he hissed, eyes becoming glassy. Suddenly Gilbert's longs pale fingers reached down and grasped Berwald's throbbing manhood, making the other gasp from the coldness of the albino's hand.

"Fan…" the Swede growled and gritted his teeth together, body shaking.

"You're really big…" Gilbert smirked, squeezing the long organ and Berwald moaned deeply again. The albino moved and suddenly pulled Berwald onto the bed and he climbed on top of him, straddling his waist. "Tell me, has anyone done these naughty things to you…?" he smiled flirtatiously and stroked the throbbing organ again.

Berwald started thinking, though it was pointless doing so now with those skilled hands touching him oh-so-amazingly, and he knows Tino wouldn't tease him like this. He'd just keep Berwald down and do what he pleased, which is usually means f*cking him over and over without lubrication or protection or preparation or love…

But Gilbert was just mind-blowing. His hands caressing over the Swede's body left trails of warmth in their paths as they kneaded and pressed the skin, as though they were massaging him…

Seeing Berwald's confused expression, Gilbert asked. "You were tense. What's up with that? Never has sex before?"

"I did…" He thought of Tino's manic expression before his mind blurred red and he shivered. It was warm in the flat and their bodies were warm from the heavy touching and making-out earlier, but he still shivered.

Gilbert stopped his hands' movements and looked in Berwald's eyes darkly.

"It was rape, wasn't it?"

Berwald turned his head away and sat up, but the albino didn't move. Deep down, he was amazed that someone would make that assumption immediately.

Gilbert's hands went around Berwald's back, but his attention snapped and he suddenly said 'No', but Gilbert frowned and growled.

"Don't pretend I don't know you have all those scars on your back," he hissed, fingers curling into a fist over the lower part of the Swede's back, where the words 'MINE' were carved at in small legible letters. He was going to say something else, but he sighed. "Don't talk about it if we're going to have sex. It kills the mood."

"Thank you…"

Gilbert sniggered a little. "Stripper policy number 7: never ask about the scars."

Berwald smirked and raised an eyebrow. "How much then?"

"Tonight – free of charge," Gilbert said before kissing him again and his fingers ghosted between the Swede's legs.

The sensations were ticklish, but Berwald knew he was going to be bottomed when he felt the tips of Gilbert's finger probe his entrance and he held back gasps, but then he felt Gilbert's other hand stroke his face and his eyes opened to see the albino's cheeky smirk.

"I'll make this one of the best nights in your life… Berwald…" he mumbled against Berwald's lips.

_'Correction – the BEST night of my life,'_ the Swede thought, but didn't say that out loud.

Gilbert got off the taller male and pushed another finger into Berwald's entrance, smiling at every gasp the Swede gave out.

"Hey, relax, big guy," he winked and added the third and final finger. Berwald wasn't as tight as he thought… maybe he's got a boyfriend he's tired of and wanted some excitement with someone else for one night? Oh, Gilbert WILL give him some excitement alright…

"Hold on," Gilbert smirked and got off the bed and reached in one of the bedside cabinet drawers. Berwald was panting for air at this rate, watching Gilbert and wondering what he's doing. The albino turned and grabbed Berwald's hands, clicking something metallic around his wrists and around the head of the bed.

'Fan…' Instead of worrying, Berwald became more excited, though his face doesn't show it. He glanced at his handcuffed hands and then at Gilbert, who had an extremely playful smirk on his face as he crawled on top of Berwald like a slinky cat and his fingers traced patterns on his chest.

"You're really well-built… do you always work-out?" he asked, smiling. He traced the shape of a heart with a pale finger.

"N-no… I'm always like th's…" Berwald gulped at the albino's sexiness.

"Wow… not just here, but down there too…" Gilbert smirked.

If Berwald had lacked self-control, he'd come at the tone of the German's voice.

Gilbert laid kisses on Berwald's chest and he stopped at Berwald's left nipple, circling his dainty tongue on the hardening nub.

By now, Gilbert learned a lot of Swedish swears just by listening to the man below him, who is now nothing more than a panting, moaning mess. He glanced at Berwald's eyes and his heart leaped. They looked so amazing. His eyes reminded him of greenish-grey stones in a river.

"I'm going to put my 5 meters in… do you really want this?" Gilbert had no idea why he asked the Swede that. But after feeling those numerous scars, he just felt like he had to ask…

"Ja! J-Just go inside me already… please…" Berwald begged, handcuffs rattling from him struggling so much. He was enjoying this so much he didn't even question Gilbert's nickname for his penis.

At that, Gilbert reached over to the cupboard and pulled out a condom from the drawer. Upon seeing Berwalds' confused expression, he sighed. "My job does carry some health risks, I always use protection. It's the boss's top policy for the club."

'So much for Tino's assumption about strippers 'doing nothing but pass around STDs!'' Berwald thought victoriously.

And then Gilbert positioned his so-called '5 meters' at Berwald's stretched entrance after resting Berwald's legs at his waist. With a hesitant nod from the Swede, Gilbert pushed himself all the way in, listening to Berwald's pained gasps and the handcuffs rattle violently around his moving wrists.

'T-Too tight…' Gilbert thought with a grimace and he leaned over to kiss Berwald's cheek. "R-Relax. Big guy…"

But Berwald was still tense, hearing Tino's harsh voice telling him to shut up and not say a word…

Gilbert lifted a hand and made Berwald face him him. "Open your eyes; I need to know I'm not hurting you…"

Berwald opened his eyes and gazed at those glassy crimson eyes, feeling relieved. His body relaxed a little and Gilbert sighed, feeling Berwald's walls relax around his own arousal.

"That's more like it…" Gilbert pulled out and thrust against Berwald, making him cry out. He didn't sound pained, but it wasn't completely pleasurable… yet.

Gilbert latched his lips on Berwald's collarbone and sucked when he thrust his hips again, getting a deep moan this time. It was music to Gilbert's ears. He knew he hit Berwald's sweet spot after the next thrust made the Swede cry out loudly.

As the German continued with those wonderful thrusts, Berwald's mind spun. Sex with this man is nothing like sex with Tino. Sex with Tino was terrifyingly painful and scarring that gave him a nervous stomach, but sex with Gilbert was lustrous and golden and mind-blowingly pleasurable... It made Berwald feel as if he's gaining strength.

"Don't stop…" Berwald gasped out.

"I'm close…" Gilbert whispered.

"Ngh! M-Me too…"

Now they both humped against each other frantically as their lips met again for another passionate kiss. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and sex and broken gasps and groans and pleading. Berwald was sure he's going to walk awkwardly the next day since he was so willing to be taken tonight by this beauty…

The heat in the pits of their stomachs grew like tense metal rods the longer Gilbert pounded against Berwald's prostrate. Instead of shutting his eyes tightly like normal during sex, Berwald kept his eyes open to gaze at Gilbert, who also gazed back, face screwed a little as he neared his climax.

Gilbert's sneaky hand quivered as it reached down and gripped Berwald's straining arousal, stroking it oh-so-teasingly slow, driving the other male insane and he came over their stomachs. A second after that, Gilbert also came with a deep sigh and pulled out of the taller male's entrance and got a small key off the cupboard, unlocking the handcuffs around Berwald's wrists and freeing them.

"So how did you feel about that, Berwald?" Gilbert grinned as he lay down next to him. He pulled off the used condom and threw it across the room and expertly landed in the waste bin.

"Fan…" Berwald's mind was spinning from all the pleasure, but his vision cleared a little, though it was a little blurred without his glasses. "That… w's amazin'…"

Gilbert grinned again. "So you're gonna stay for the night?" His smile dropped. "Or are you going back to your loving wife and have the worst sex ever for the rest of your life?"

The thought of meeting Tino the next day after not returning home terrified Berwald deep down in his conscience. The feelings of pleasure melted away and are replaced with fear.

"I g't t' get hom'…" Berwald mumbled, sitting up only to fall back on the bed and grunting.

Gilbert kissed his cheek. "Poor you~ Was I too rough?"

Too rough? Compared to Tino, Gilbert was as gentle as a feather.

"I-I need t' call Tino… an' tell 'im I'll be home soon…" he said, but his mind spun again from being tired. Gilbert frowned and sighed.

"Okay, but it's almost 2 in the morning… he'd be asleep, wouldn't he?"

_'No, you are very wrong,'_ Berwald though, closing his eyes as he relaxed on the bed._ 'He'll be sitting on the sofa, holding a knife and some ropes to…'_

He felt a pair of pale slender arms wrap around his torso, hugging him close.

"Just stay for the night… I'm sure things will work out. And even if they don't, I hope we'll be friends…"

Berwald closed his eyes, letting Gilbert's words and scent calm him down before he fell asleep peacefully.

* * *

><p>AN: Wow… I made Sweden so… so… OOC! 8D AND I FINALLY WROTE A SEX SCENE WHERE SWEDEN IS TOPPED! 8D *victory jig*

But damn, I just HAD to mention Tino! And I said this wasn't going to be a plot-relevant chapter… *pouts*


	4. Meeting The Invisible Neighbour

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya!

A/N: It wasn't fair of me to put up this chapter by the number of reviews I get, so I'm sorry. I can, however, only load up chapters when I have free time off college and the work. It's a real bugger, but that's the only way of doing it.

* * *

><p>When Berwald woke up, his backside ached and his body stiffened to ignore the pain. He remembered last night's events all too clearly, but then he was then distracted by an accented-voice.<p>

"Hey, morning, big guy!" Gilbert said with a cattish smile as he leaned over the Swede. "Had a nice sleep?"

"…Ja," Berwald mumbled. Gilbert leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"Awesome! …That means 'yes', right? 'Ja' is yes in German!" Gilbert saying that while looking a little delighted made Berwald smile. He nodded. "Hey, do you want some pancakes for breakfast? I can make some really awesome ones and I got some maple syrup to put on them thanks to my Canadian neighbour!"

"What time is it?" Berwald asked, sitting up and looked around for a clock, but there's none.

"It's only 6… you're an early riser! Kesesese!"

Gilbert's laugh was amusing…

So Gilbert scurried out the bedroom wearing a hastily-put-on robe. That's a thought. Berwald forgot where the German put his clothes at… he'll have to basically walk around the place naked.

Berwald made a move to sit up on the bed, but pain shot through his lower back. Damn, the sex was so good… He slowly stood up and sighed in relief. The pain wasn't so bad that he has to lie down for some time…

"Hoi! Big guy! Your clothes are here! Come and get them!" Gilbert called from down the small corridor. Berwald reluctantly got up and stumbled down the corridor, half-leaning onto the wall. When he walked into the kitchen, he was greeted with a delicious smell.

"…Smells nice," he murmured, watching Gilbert shift a golden pancake onto a pile of steaming pancakes. There seemed to be about 20 piled up. The Swede frowned a little. "…Aren't ya makin' too much?"

"What do you mean?" Gilbert blinked. "I always make 10 for myself, but the other half is for you!"

So if Gilbert eats that much every day in the morning… Berwald was mildly surprised that the skinny man looked so slim despite the… regular diet.

"Come on! Sit if you like! I cleared the living room a little and I FINALLY found the coffee table!" Gilbert ordered when he turned the hob off and swept up the stack of pancakes expertly in one hand and the other grabbed a bottle of maple syrup.

Berwald turned and wasn't surprised to see that Gilbert just pushed all the junk behind the sofa, but at least the coffee table wasn't doomed to being buried by rubbish forever. He remembered something. "Are m' clothes dried?"

Gilbert tried not to grin. "They're hanging off the clothes horse behind me. I washed them before you woke up. I don't think you'd want to go around smelling like you got stuck in the rain. …I think your friend is happy to see me."

Berwald reddened and he brushed past to grab his dried clothes and got changed into them.

* * *

><p>Gilbert was already eating some pancakes off the spare plate he took off the shelf. He licked the end of one rolled-up pancake before taking it into his mouth and he chew it, making it gradually disappear. Berwald watched, feeling his cheeks heat up even though his face didn't show his delight in watching the seemingly sensual display. The German grinned, running his tongue up the pancake and humming when he took the maple-dripping end in his mouth. Gilbert moaned a little, shivering on his own.<p>

Damn that stripper for being so sensual… Berwald may still have an aching backend from last night, but he KNOWS that he'll end up throwing the German to the floor and-

"Wanna fuck me right now?"

Berwald choked on his pancake.

Gilbert laughed a little and reached to the coffee table for the bottle of maple syrup, but his eyes widened. "Shit… I'm out of syrup!" he complained, waving the bottle over his bare pancake, hoping to get even a small dot of the delicious amber-gold ooze onto his pancake, but nothing came out. It was empty. "Aww man now I gotta go see my neighbour!"

"Let me," Berwald stood up and put his plate of 7 pancakes down. "Which room does he live in?"

"Uh… just the door on your left when you go into the corridor, but be nice! He's really sensitive!" Gilbert smiled.

* * *

><p>Berwald stood in front of the door to Gilbert's neighbour, holding a quickly-written note that the German asked him to give to… "Mattie?"<p>

He already rang the bell, but it's been a few minutes… Oh, Berwald felt stupid. Who'd be up at this time in the morning? He knocked again and he heard a loud voice calling from down the concrete stairs.

"Stop making that racket so early in the morning! I'll have the council onto you!"

It was the old bat who shouted at him and Gilbert last night. She wasn't anywhere in sight, but she kept on ranting.

Suddenly the door opened and a teenaged boy stood there with his longish blonde hair looking a mess. He looked distressed.

"O-Oh, hello, sir, could I help you with anything?" he asked nervously.

"…G'lbert asked me t' give ya this note." Berwald handed the note over and the boy read it, eyes widening.

"Oh for the love of maple… he ran out again?" he sighed and smiled at Berwald. "Wait a moment… on second thought, come inside! I need to find a full bottle for good ol' Gilbert."

Berwald thought Mattie reminded him of somebody very familiar. He couldn't quite place his finger on who he reminds him of…

Mattie's apartment was as small as Gilbert's and are exactly the same, except that the kitchen surfaces were shiny, there wasn't any junk lying around, there were framed photographs sitting on top of the fireplace. Berwald closed the door behind him and went over to the kitchen area, standing on the carpet instead of the shiny tiled floor.

"My name is Matthew Williams, by the way," Matthew said, smiling as he picked out a full bottle of maple syrup and handed it to the taller Swede. "I-I hope I don't sound rude, but I think I know you..."

"It's alright. I think I know you from somewhere..." Berwald nodded. "…Mr Williams?"

"Oui? I-I mean yes?" Matthew blushed hard at his slipping English.

"Do you have a twin brother?" Berwald asked, wondering.

"O-Oh, no! No! I do have an older brother, but people mistake me for him all the time…" Matthew answered, sighing. "He works are IKEA. He crashes at his friend's home sometimes without telling me or leaving any notes, which worries me because I hate being alone sometimes and there are some nasty people living around the neighbourhood… Oh! Forget what I said!" Matthew suddenly yelped, going red again. "I-I don't have any friends to talk to and I call my parents in Canada in the evenings because their time zone is so different to Sweden's, s-so I talk too much!"

"I-it's okay…" Berwald blinked. He had a thought. "Is your brother's name… Alfred Jones?"

Matthew's eyes brightened. "Yes! That's my brother alright! Why? Do you know him?" He smiled.

"He…" Berwald suddenly remembered why he's in a derelict council flat when he could've been at his high-class expensive apartment with his wife and son. His employees are bound to wonder where he went and ask Tino… "I-I just saw him a few times. You two look very alike."

"Oh. Okay then," Matthew went confusedly. Berwald took the bottle of maple syrup out of his hand.

"Thanks."

"Y-you're welcome!" Matthew nodded.

Berwald turned to leave, when Matthew suddenly gasped and said: "W-Wait! I just want to tell you that you can come here anytime!"

The Swede looked at Matthew, blinking, before nodding with a small smile. "Thank you, Matthew."

Matthew blushed hard as Berwald closed the door.

* * *

><p>"He seems to like you a lot," Gilbert smirked when Berwald walked into the room.<p>

"Yeah…" Berwald handed over the full bottle of maple syrup and Gilbert gleefully held it. He knew that Gilbert spying on them from outside before coming back into his apartment.

"Yay~!" he cheered but then stopped and laughed. "I was going to tell you… that I already got some hiding under the table!"

Berwald blinked. "Then why didn't y' tell me?"

"Because Mattie needed someone to chat to since his arsehole of a brother is always away!" Gilbert replied and stood up, gathering the two empty plates. "Anyway, I gotta get changed and meet my boss later. He needed a word about some new client or something."

All of a sudden, Berwald felt like a stranger again standing in someone's apartment even though he only knew the German occupant for a couple of days. Not to mention he slept with a STRIPPER when he has an excellent job, a brilliantly expensive home, a (adopted) child and a wife! He started wondering why he's risking throwing all the good things away just for one person he barely knew…

"You alright, big guy?" Gilbert frowned. "It's nearly seven… maybe you should go back home now-"

"No, I'm late for work." Berwald suddenly said and smoothed his clothes out. He patted his pocket and pulled his car keys out. "I'll… see y' soon?"

"Pfft! Don't expect me to come hurrying into your pants next time, big guy!" Gilbert smirked and winked. "See me at the Starlight Glitter Club anytime. Just because I gave you a free service in my bed doesn't mean you could get away with not paying next time!"

Berwald knew that he HIGHLY doubted himself ever going to a strip joint. He hadn't met Tino's wrath yet. Maybe he'll break Berwald until he's too paralysed to walk around and be too disabled to leave the building…

"But really, I had fun. You're the nicest guy I met in this country. Possibly the whole world."

* * *

><p>Berwald got into his car and sighed, resting his forehead on the wheel. His stomach was aching despite it being full of pancakes and his back end was only a little sore.<p>

'_It's not like I'll ever meet him again… I know where he works, but I have work to do so we should just both get along with our lives…' _he thought and then started the ignition of the car before turning the car around and driving towards the road leading to IKEA.

* * *

><p>When he walked into the staff room through the back door, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him.<p>

"Boss, is everything alright?" Francis asked. He looked worried.

"Ja. Why wouldn't I b' fine?" Berwald asked, trying to be as normal as possible.

The ensuing silence in the room was suffocating.

"Well…" Francis wrung his hands together, trying to find his words. "Your wife came around looking very… upset. He asked us all where you were since you didn't come home last night and we assumed you were asleep in your office, but we had security checking the place out and you were nowhere to be seen…"

That was the most words that Francis spoken that didn't involve innuendo, but nobody cared. They all seem terrified.

"I'd take the day off, boss!" Annika suddenly suggested, breaking the awkward silence. "You look like you need a big break!"

A few other employees mumbled and nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Berwald was slowly dying on the inside and his stomach acted up.

* * *

><p>He didn't want to, but he had to.<p>

Berwald know he was going to regret coming home so early in the day. Tino is seriously going to kill him. He didn't call him last night, he didn't tell him where he was, he didn't... he just didn't say a single word to the Finnish man.

Berwald nervously keyed in the password into the electronic panel by the door and it beeped and blinked green before the door slid open.

"Tino?" his voice croaked as he walked inside. The curtains were already opened and Peter's schoolbag was gone. That was strange. It's a Saturday. Why would his bag be-

Berwald's vision suddenly blanked out.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry it took long ^^


	5. Confrontation With The Boss

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya~

A/N: Pfft… sorry I took long (AGAIN) but I had work (AGAIN) so I was busy (AGAIN).

Onwards!

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><p>Berwald's backside still ached from last night, but now his head was throbbing as he regained consciousness and the brightness of the living room nearly blinded him. His legs and arms felt like concrete blocks as he tried to move them, but then he realised that he was tied to Tino's office chair that's usually in the study room… what's it's doing in the living room…?<p>

Tino.

His heart almost burst at the realisation. But then it dropped when he heard a deep voice that's too different from Tino's psycho-voice. Berwald glanced to the side and noticed a tall burly figure wearing a heavy coat with a smile.

"I see you're finally awake. Maybe last night did you the whole world of good?" the man chuckled. His scarf nearly muffled his voice, but it bunched up under his chin.

"Who are you?" Berwald murmured out and sat up properly in the chair. Even though it's a revolving chair, he couldn't move himself anywhere as a large foot is keeping it still. The man leaned down, purplish eyes boring into his sight.

"My name is Ivan Braginski," he introduced himself, "I'm Silver's boss."

Because of the persistent throbbing in Berwald's head, he was confused. "Silver?"

"Oh, my apologies," Ivan's tone of voice lowered dangerously despite smiling, "I mean Gilbert, your boy-toy from last night. I'm his boss at the Starlight Glitter club. I had a complaint from a pair of clients who wanted to spend an hour with him, but then you took Gilbert away…"

"They were going to rape him," Berwald glared. "Outside in some deserted car park instead of inside your building – that looked like kidnapping."

A large gloved hand held his face roughly, covering his mouth and making him stare at Ivan's face up close. He held a neutral expression. "They paid good money – I simply allowed them to take Silver for a test run…"

"I don't believe you…" Berwald murmured, narrowing his glare. Ivan suddenly let go and sighed heavily.

"That's not why I'm here… Toris, come here, please."

Berwald snapped his attention to a nervous young man with shoulder-length brunette hair. He was holding a heavy black leather suitcase. "F-forgive me, Mr Oxenstierna…" he whimpered, "I'm a double agent… I w-worked for Mr Braginski longer than I have with you and I owe him my life-"

Ivan glared at him. "He doesn't need to know your life story, Toris, now show Mr Oxenstierna the cash."

Toris placed the suitcase on the polished floor and fiddled with the lock combinations with shaky fingers. He saw Ivan's glare intensify and he whimpered. "I-I'm almost done! 5, 3, 8… 9… Done!" The case clicked and he lifted the lid to show it is full of money and some papers.

"What's this?" Berwald couldn't help but ask as he stared at the contents.

Ivan raised a finger. "This is 10 billion Swedish Krona. All real, freshly crisp off the press and not a single smudge… or so it seems." He picked up a wad of notes and tapped Berwald's head with it. "These ARE fake, but I have the best forger in the whole world working for me to make these beauties so I can avoid paying tax. But I also buy new strippers from other associates across the country who get their constant supply from the Middle East, Asia, South America, North America, even Europe and also Africa, where I get most of my youngest workers from… Basically, my current workers ALL come from every corner of this planet."

Berwald gulped silently when he realised this man is a human trafficker. What does he want with him…?

"Of course, my sources don't check to see that the money is actually fake while I keep the real money," Ivan giggled childishly then he his expression darkened. "But Gilbert is the best because HE came to ME for help after he crawled into this country like a rat after swimming the sea from Germany's shores."

"Why you?"

"He's an illegal immigrant," Ivan shrugged. "People here in a socialist country such as Sweden don't appreciate spongers who take money from the government if they're not here to pay back. But I employ anyone and I… have ways of making people spill their guts to me. We made a simple deal – he works for me, I'll keep him in the country."

"Why did he come here… when he has family?" Berwald asked as he thought of his conversation with Gilbert last night and remembered the photographs of him and his brother, looking happy.

"Beats me," Ivan laughed coldly, "family? It's a pathetic concept that keeping people tied down from what they really want to do in life." A glint shone in his eye. "Yet… there are people who want to go to great lengths just to protect them, even if they're not blood-related or are abusive towards others."

Berwald understood and his heart froze over. "Where's Tino and Peter?" he growled, glaring dangerously.

"They're fine for now," Ivan smiled, "of course, I say 'for now' because what you do next will decide their fates."

Berwald looked at the suitcase and the fake money inside it. He glanced around the apartment, but nothing was out of place or missing. And then he looked at Toris, who only looked away in sorrow.

"What do you want?" Berwald sighed, defeated, "if you want me to exchange the fake money with real money to save my family, then I can do it."

Ivan tutted. "It's not as simple as that, Mr Oxenstierna~! I know you had sex with Gilbert without paying him for his services."

"So what if I did? It doesn't make you any better, financing illegal activities in this great country and around the world!" the Swedish captive snarled. Ivan suddenly grabbed a fistful of his hair painfully and jerked his head to make him look at him.

"You're acting up, Mr Oxenstierna… I don't like it," the Russian said darkly. "Let's cut the crap and let Toris explain, da?"

"M-me?" Toris squeaked and Ivan smiled at him with a nod. "A-Anything for you, sir…" He picked up a sheet of paper from inside the suitcase and coughed. "M-Mr Braginski would like to make an offer that you cannot refuse. He has someone working at IKEA who controls the finances electronically and he can divert them to the Middle East to fund terrorist activities if you refuse the offer as well as having your family killed off and dumped in the Baltic Sea." Toris shut his eyes tightly and he continued. "All he wants you to do is carry on visiting the Starlight Glitter club at least once every evening between 6pm and 9pm sharp to 'have a quality time with Silver Star and nobody else' and pay 1000 Krona. Also…" The P.A. gulped. "…You are not to inform the police or the authorities about Mr Braginski's 'activities' around the world lest he'll break the deal, transfer your money and kill your family. Also, he has evidence that you had sex with Silver and he won't be afraid to use it as blackmail and will submit it to the media."

At every demand, Berwald's confusion and fear mounted higher together.

"Prostitution IS legal in this grand country," Ivan hummed, letting go of Berwald's hair, "but it IS frowned upon to cheat on your endearing wife. The poor guy is just like me in a way." He shook his head. "Traumatised because of past events that'll drive him over the edge of insanity if certain memories trigger them… I saw his hospital documents too."

Berwald now felt even more furious. "You were looking at my family's hospital documents."

"Da. I wonder if that bump on Peter's head will get better? Or will he recover from seeing your scars?"

The Swede suddenly yelled and threw himself at the taller man, but Ivan powerfully shoved him to the ground and stamped on his stomach, winding Berwald severely.

"Hey. Shut up. Do you WANT me to kill you and burn this place down?" Ivan whispered. Blood oozed from Berwald's mouth where he accidentally bit his tongue when he got winded and it dripped onto the floor. Hearing nothing but groans, Ivan removed his foot. "Good. Because I feel SORRY for your psychotic wife and to seal the deal in good taste, I'll supply you with anti-psychosis drugs. I already know some good dealers. Legitimate ones, I mean," Ivan added, "I know why your wife is so psychotic, but you don't seem to know about his past as truthfully as he does… why don't you do background checks on him?"

Berwald still said nothing, grunting at the pain in his tongue and at Ivan's words. No, Tino SHOULDN'T be medicated. What will Peter say or ask? He's still a kid. He shouldn't have to know about these sort of things or what his father is about to get up to…

"Well! I'm finished here for today!" Ivan suddenly smiled brightly. "Toris?"

"Y-Yes, sir?" Toris gulped and he quickly shut the suitcase with a firm snapping noise.

"Take care of him." Ivan pointed his thumb at the sorry-looking Swede on the floor. "He might need stitches. And an alibi in case anyone asks. Plus, I need you to return to my office this evening at 7pm sharp. I need to make preparations."

"Where's… Tino… Peter…" Berwald murmured with difficulty as pain pulsed from his bleeding tongue.

"They're fine. I actually saw them leaving to go shopping. Peter is such a good child, following his mother around so happily… too bad that smile will be shattered if anything happens to you," Ivan added darkly as he turned to leave. "Oh, and one more thing… you will start our deal next week, Saturday, 6pm until 9pm. And Gilbert is allowed to accompany you at any time outside the work place, but only as companions. Have fun~!" He chuckled before leaving the apartment and the door hissed shut.

Berwald's mind, meanwhile, was clouded with pain, memories and confusion and Ivan's demands from him. His body couldn't even be bothered to listen to his mind telling it to move with urgency. Someone's hands quickly unwound the ropes the bound his wrists and ankles together.

"Oh, Mr Oxenstierna, I'm so sorry this happened to you!" Toris cried as his shaky hands snatched the rough ropes and threw them behind him as if they're snakes; he then carefully lifted the Swede until he was sitting up. He felt an arm on his back and he shut his eyes tightly, whimpering, but his fear disappeared the longer he felt warmth against his body and he glanced up at his boss, confused. "S-sir?"

"I'm sorry y' ha' t' see me like th's…" Berwald murmured with difficulty. More blood ran over his bottom lip.

Toris's cheeks reddened as his body shook nervously. "No! I-Ivan isn't a- nice person at the best of times, but he is a little cruel… Y-Your family is safe as long as you hold the deal, b-but I should be ashamed of myself, working for you as a P.A. when I should've been protecting you like any assistant would, b-but Ivan's my boss too and-"

"Lauri'tis," Berwald said firmly and Toris stopped babbling. "Enou'. Hel' me u'…" Toris sighed and he stood up, carefully supporting his boss and sat him down on the abandoned office chair.

"Let me get a tissue for your tongue then I'll drive you to the hospital quickly…" Toris mumbled and he walked off, soaking a tissue with freezing cold water and handing it over to his boss, who stood up shakily. "Is your stomach all right…?"

Berwald tried to speak, but he just nodded after saying something unintelligible.

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><p>Toris Laurinaitis. Nationality: Lithuanian. Age: 19. Occupation: Personal Assistant. Favourite colour: Blue.<p>

Berwald remembers the day he took on Toris as his P.A. 5 years ago shortly after getting married to Tino. Toris applied for a job as Berwald's P.A. because underneath the shaky nervous exterior of the young man, there is a treasure trove of knowledge and intelligence that had him graduated from university at the age of _13_. Of all the jobs that people like him could've gotten rich and recognition from the masses, he chose to become a lowly P.A. for a furniture store manager. Berwald always wondered why a bright young man like him would rather push at pens than doing some other exciting jobs that pay more than here, but then after today's confrontation with the boss of the Starlight Glitter club, he made some guesses…

Of course, he couldn't speak properly without losing blood, but after the hospital gave him painkillers and stitched his tongue (as well as telling the staff Berwald tripped over someone's pet dog and bit his own tongue by accident), he can speak however rougher he sounded now.

"Mr Laurinaitis," Berwald started as Toris drove him back towards the apartment. "You mentioned something about 'owing your life to Mr Braginski'… what did he do? And is it to do with you working with me?"

"Mmm…" Toris hummed lowly, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly until his knuckles were as white as bone. "I-it wasn't the most appropriate of circumstances, but it was to save my family…"

Berwald listened, watching the Lithuanian.

"I got two brothers. Both adopted into my family. Eduard is the eldest and he was from Estonia until he needed somewhere to live so he could go to university… and Raivis is from Latvia and he was adopted so he could go to school and get the education he deserves…

"My dad passed away some years ago, so I held us three together and we protected each other as we carried on with life as normal, but…" Toris drew in a breath. "One day, Raivis was on his way to school, and some men in a van suddenly abducted him. Eduard was there, he tried to fight them off, but he got sh-shot in the shoulder and they got away with Raivis. I called the police and the ambulance, but the police didn't find any clues and Eduard was knocked out in hospital so they could care for his wound. We were the only witnesses there and we were stumped. Until Ivan came along in my house and told me he knew who the men were and they cannot be prosecuted because of lack of evidence."

Berwald opened his mouth to say something, but Toris cut in quickly.

"I KNOW it's weird to get a total stranger saying kidnappers could not get prosecuted, but I had no choice back then!" he whined, "Ivan then told me who he was and I knew he worked on illegal dealings and trafficking, but he said he got some people who could save Raivis and kill the kidnappers and make it look like they were shooting each other!

"I accepted the deal from Ivan. I had no choice. I already lost my dad and the last thing I want is for Raivis to die just because I couldn't do anything! So Ivan managed to bring back Raivis and reunite him with me and Eduard who didn't know about the deal… Days after I graduated from university, I had a phone call from Ivan ordering me to become your personal assistant and I just accepted," Toris finished with a small laugh. Berwald blinked at his odd behaviour. "I was glad I didn't end up being taken to some far-away country, because Europe is the safest place for me!"

"Mr Laurinaitis… what else did Ivan ask of you in your deal?" Berwald asked.

Toris parked the car in the parking lot underneath the apartment block and looked at Berwald sadly. "He said if I don't work for you and pass on information about you to him… he'll simply kill me, Raivis and Eduard. That's it."

"What kind of information?"

"He said ANYTHING about you, so I did…" Toris blushed and looked at the steering wheel like it's the most interesting thing in the world. "All I had to do was learn about you and tell him what I know…"

"So he already knows everything about me and my life…" Berwald mumbled and got out the car, slamming the door shut and walked away.

"Wait!"

Berwald turned to look at Toris who quickly stumbled out the car. "I-I know you're blaming me for what's going on, b-but please hear me out!"

"I don't blame you."

The Lithuanian breathed in deeply. "E-Even if things look bad, think of this phrase: 'Always look on the bright side.'"

"What's so positive about me having my family at risk of being executed?"

"At least you're keeping them safe by keeping to Ivan's deal – that's positive enough of how much you love them!" Toris hurriedly explained, and then his cheeks went pink as he looked away. "L-like… I find working with you a positive bright thing, because you remind me of Eduard… and I-I really like him…"

"Oh…" Berwald went, surprised. He can't deny that Toris's smile was cute in its own unique way, but he isn't in love with it. He isn't in love with the Lithuanian. He could only feel great admiration for the young man for working hard for all these years, in spite of what he has been secretly doing…

He rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously. "Why don't you tell him? About your feelings, I mean…"

"I couldn't…" Toris gulped. "Eduard and Raivis are still in Lithuania. They only call me once a week and we don't see each other at all…"

"Use that time wisely to tell Eduard how you really feel."

"B-but, boss…" Toris whined and buried his face in his hands. Berwald's lips curved into an amused smile.

"That's an order from your boss, Mr Laurinaitis." Berwald was immensely enjoying this, seeing his subordinate squirm under his gaze.

Toris groaned. "Y-yes, boss…" And he walked by his side when Berwald's large hand rested on his skinny shoulder, making him look up.

"Y' can call me Berwald. You know everything about me, after all."

Toris smiled a little. "Y-you can call me Toris. You know a lot about me too."

"Deal."

That's Berwald's least favourite word of the century besides 'uncertainty' and 'future'.

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><p>AN: Sooo a little bit of one-sided Liet/Swe and a little bit of Liet/Est… Check~3 I didn't actually plan for them to interact like this, but oh well, this is better than I thought ^.^

I love you guys for the positive reviews, they make the world go around~

Oh, as well as my lovely gf – you make my world spin around too, darling~


	6. Hold Your Tongue

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya… (Since this website is about FANfiction, is there really a point to putting up a disclaimer every time since nothing on this website belongs to the fans who write fiction about their favourite characters and series…?)

A/N: Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter guys~ Nothing to say, except for that you are all awesome~

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><p>After their discussion , Berwald decided to stay at home. Toris said he'll take over things at IKEA while his boss recuperates and wait for his stitched-up tongue to heal up. He found it hard to drink water without his tongue throbbing at the coolness…<p>

But while the Swede worried about his deal with the boss of the Starlight Glitter club, the door to the apartment opened and Peter ran in happily. "Hey, Dad! I didn't expect to see you here!" he chirped and threw himself into as hug with the tall male, who hugged him back and patted his blonde hair. Tino also walked in with a few bags of shopping with a laugh.

"Hello, Ber! I didn't expect you here until evening!" He dropped the bags onto the counter in the kitchen area and strolled over to embrace Berwald and his son. "What happened at work, anyway? Did something happen? Let me guess, you're in shock because that American worker shocked you with his abnormal appetite!" he sniggered.

Berwald stuck his tongue out and Peter giggled until he had a clearer look at it and his mouth dropped open in an O-shape. Tino stared at the tiny black zig-zags and backed away with a small shriek. Berwald would've smirked smugly if he wasn't so scared of Tino.

"What the hell happened to your tongue? Show me again!" Tino demanded and he held the sides of his husband's head. He stuck his tongue out to comply. "Tsk! Did you fall over and bit it?" He received a nod in reply.

"I tripped over a dog when Toris an' I went walking together."

"Cool!" Peter gasped as he stared at the stitches. "Can I have some too?"

"No!" Tino said firmly and walked away to put groceries away. "And why would you walk around with that boy? He's so depressing when he's around, he always seem to be nervous about people, even the ones who are familiar to him! He is a good worker but he is rather young. He's too young to have a demanding job like being a P.A."

"He's the best candidate, however lacking his social skills may be," Berwald started, "besides; he chose to do this job." He knows that's a lie. Toris DIDN'T have a choice when Ivan is concerned.

"You tripped over a doggy," Peter snickered. He shrieked with laughter when Berwald started tickling his arms and his feet flailed in the air.

"Ber, put him down, he just ate some chocolate cake! He'll throw up!" Tino said, but he was also laughing.

Berwald stopped tickling his son and watched Tino laugh. The Swede took a mental note to research on his past later, but for now, he got up to help put the rest of the groceries away.

"Could we go watch a movie on the TV?" Peter asked excitedly as he held up a DVD. "I wanna go watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2!"

"Okay," Tino replied with a quick smile and ruffled his blonde hair, making him complain and stalk off to throw his bag on a coat hook by the door. "I'd rather see it tonight than later. My boss gave me the evening off, so we're all together."

Berwald thought about Ivan's deal – the part when it says he has to 'have quality time with Gilbert between 6 and 9 in the evening' – but sighed in relief when he remembered he starts his 'job' next Saturday. He can spend the evening with his family.

As the evening closed in, the household wasn't busy and the routine was just… normal. They all ate dinner together and chatted (Berwald is usually quiet anyway, so he wasn't worried) and then Peter said something about 'a really pretty student teacher starting her new job at the school called Miss Bonnefoy' with a small blush on his face. Tino laughed and teased him about having a crush, to which the boy shrieked that he doesn't.

"What is she like?" Berwald asked, raising an eyebrow. He decided to have a bit of fun teasing his adopted son. It was a daring move on his part since Tino stopped laughing and glanced at him with what seemed like jealousy dancing behind his eyes.

"She's REALLY nice towards me!" Peter bragged, "she looks like a teenager! She also looks like a model, but she's SO HOT AND SMART~!"

Both Tino and Berwald chuckled at their son's enthusiasm.

"Oh! Oh! And!" Peter smiled again with a childish blush, "her hair is really long and she braids it and keeps it over her shoulder and she wears these glasses that made her look like a secretary!"

"She sounds very pretty," Tino giggled. "I'll look forward to seeing Miss Bonnefoy on Parent's Evening."

"You should! When the other guys left to go to the playground, she secretly gave me a croissant WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS IN IT and winked and said I'm one of her favourites!" Peter grinned victoriously, "of course, I bet I'M her number one favourite student! She said I'm more bearable than the other brats she teaches!"

"Did she call them brats?" Berwald asked.

"Nope – but I did!" Peter laughed then he suddenly stopped and added, "well, they're all brats except for this Australian chick who sits with me!"

Tino tried to stop himself from laughing so hard. "Don't you mean Sheila?"

"Yeah, but…" the boy drooped his head sadly and stared at his empty dinner plate. "Sheila found out that I ate a chocolate croissant and she said I should've saved half for her, but I said it was too small to be split and she went off in a huff saying I'm a useless friend!" His voice cracked a bit, even though he half-shouted the last part of his sentence to hide his anger.

"Why don't you invite her over for tea? I could ask her brother on Monday after school and arrange for her to come over on the Saturday next week," Tino suggested as he stood up and picked up Peter's empty plate.

The boy grinned. "She could watch the movie with me in the evening when it's dark and I'll make it like the cinema! Could we eat popcorn too!"

Tino giggled. "Nice ideas! Of course, me and your dad won't interrupt your lovely time with your friend, won't we, Ber?"

Berwald sucked in some air and felt his tongue throb from the cool air. He's going to say it. "Actually, the shifts at IKEA changed so I'll be working evenings from now on… from 6 until 9, so you'll probably be in bed by then."

"That's fine! One less human to interrupt me!" Peter sniggered, but Tino gave Berwald The Look.

"What do you mean the shifts have changed? YOU'RE the boss of the place, couldn't you get time off so we could spend time together?" he asked with an underlying tone of anger.

"It wouldn't be right t' interrupt Peter's 'alone time' with his girlfriend," Berwald said, trying to smile. He stood up and picked his empty plate up, but Tino snatched it off him and stalked into the kitchen.

"…Does Mom want to spend 'alone time' with you too?" Peter blinked innocently.

'Trust me, I wouldn't,' Berwald thought to himself grimly.

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><p>Somehow, Berwald managed to sleep in his and Tino's double bed without any incident occurring in the night. Tino just stripped down and got his pyjamas on and then crawled into bed, sleeping while curled up as he always did. Berwald just got changed and also laid down, not bothering to pull the duvet off the sleeping male next to him even when he was getting chilly. Thank goodness the central heating isn't switched on too low.<p>

Tino sleeping while being curled up isn't an unusual habit, but when they first slept together, it was awkward on Berwald's part since most of the duvet was taken by the smaller male and it completely wrapped him in a warm human cocoon. But it made the Finn look endearing enough for the Swede to smile and hug him close; he'd get his warmth just by doing that.

Tonight was different. Berwald just stared at Tino's back as the night progressed past midnight and the duvet gradually slithered off his body until its wrapped around Tino's body completely.

'Oh, Tino…' Berwald's thoughts were loud and ringing in his own vacant mind. Guilt and the memories of their times together clashed and warred in his heart like filling a water balloon with too much water – it will all eventually burst into the open and cause a mess. Then he thought of how Gilbert treated him in his apartment the night before with such caring sex without hurting him; it was all a complete contrast to his cosy, repetitive life.

Long ago, Berwald would just take the beatings and rape from Tino and keep quiet, all for the sake of keeping the wool pulled over Peter's eyes and ears to protect his innocence. Tino would silently tend to Berwald's wounds the morning after whatever rocky sex they have then he would suddenly start crying and hug his husband from behind without saying anything. Even to this day it confused the hell out of Berwald, but now that Braginski suggested researching on his past, he guessed that it's something to do with his childhood. After all, a lot of behaviours from sufferers (Berwald refuses to call Tino a criminal) mostly stemmed back to childhood from trauma or accidents that reform their behaviour and psychology… But what Berwald knows is that Tino feels a whole world of guilt crashing down on his conscience and silently asks for forgiveness every time by tending to wounds.

The Swede sighed and sat up, making the bed creak a little, and he looked in the mirror which is propped on top of a dresser opposite the bed. In the moonlight's faint glow through the uncensored windows, he could see dark bags under his eyes from so much worrying, his eyes look dead and blank, he looked sickly pale and he even looked as if he lost weight. Sometimes Tino would caress Berwald's muscles, giggling like a girl when he says he's lucky to have a man as muscled as Berwald being married to him. Right now, Berwald's got more bone than muscles. Whatever happened to make him forget to eat? Oh yeah. The fact that his family is on a potential hit list by that bastard Braginski is more than enough to worry anyone enough to forget to eat.

He groaned softly and pressed his hand on his cheek. He knows he's going to behave like a zombie when he gets to work tomorrow. At least Annika mentioned that she's bringing in one of her famous caffeine-cupcakes with yellow and blue sugar sprinkles for Sundays…

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><p>AN: Wy = Sheila. Sheila. Really? Of all the names I know, I had to pick the most generic Australian name! I only hope you guys guessed who Sheila was before you read this note, cuz that's why I chose Sheila as her name… TT_TT "Miss Bonnefoy?" Yep, it's Monaco~

Yeah… past and present tense. SCREW THEM! I deliberately switch in-between because when I'm talking about the past in the story or what used to happen, I switch to past tense. It makes the story flow in my opinion. I just don't like the idea of having single chapters or putting in line breaks with FLASHBACK!1! as the titles because it just breaks the story into fragments. I want it all to flow except for when the chapter ends and someone learns something new about the development.

What? Can ye tell I want to be a writer in the near-future? X3


	7. The Trans-human

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya!

A/N: Hello, everybody! Sorry about my disappearance, I've been ultra-busy with work, and even missing 5 minutes of study time could seriously affect my revision DX But now I'm granting myself minutes of the day just to add bits and pieces onto my stories and future chapters.

Enjoy!

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><p>Despite the turbulent week that Berwlad has been put through, Sunday came and went with no incident. Peter was looking forward to next Saturday when he invites his classmatecrush Sheila over for a movie night, and Tino was gushing over what brand of popcorn he should get from the supermarket and what other snacks the youngsters would want. Peter complained, saying that he wanted to be independent in getting things organised, but he quickly changed his mind when he realised how little pocket money he's got in his piggy bank.

"Why is friendship so expensive…" he shook his head and Tino giggled.

But with Berwald, who was silent and stoic as always, was dreading the next Saturday when he has his 'date' with Gilbert at the Starlight Glitter club…

"Honey? Is something the matter?" Tino asked him suddenly. The Swede shook his head.

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><p>It's now Monday, and as soon as Tino left to take Peter to school, Berwald immediately went to his laptop at the kitchen table and got onto the internet. The Swede decided it's time to do some digging into Tino's past.<p>

But… the only thing that Berwald knew was that Tino was born in Finland and was raised in a care home his whole life.

"Ugh… that doesn't narrow it down very well…" Berwald murmured just as a list of care homes popped up. There were over thousands of care homes which are still open. Over 9000.

"Wait, he said it got closed down and he was given a home…" He entered the year the care home got shut down and a list of 40 care homes popped up – the 40 that were only shut down that year. But there was one care home name that had links to various newspaper articles online.

The Swede opened a few and saw the same name in every one. "Raising Lives."

But he saw the same words in every one. "Murder." "Child abuse." "Sexual assault." "Unfair trial." "Biased evidence." "Not guilty."

Berwald's eyes widened the more he read through the articles. But no matter how many long words the articles used or how different the format or language (it took him a while to understand Finnish), the basic story went like this. For years Raising Lives was raising homeless children, but because of the location in the mountains concealed by thick forests, it was rare for inspectors to come visit the Home, which gives the workers time to hide bruises and cuts that they inflicted on the children. But in spite of being uncovered by an inspector and the owner taken to court, the case was dropped because of strange irregularities in the evidence that couldn't be properly explained. The articles didn't properly specify what the strange evidence was, but Berwald made a bet that the bastard care home owner had connections within the Justice Ministry who liked him so much. Liked him enough to overlook the damaged minds and bodies of the poor children.

He thought of Tino and the times he gets to see his body when it's naked. He never noticed any scars or cuts as if there was never any physical damage inflicted onto him. Yet his mind can snap at moments when Peter is out the room and at night time… The news articles only describe what happened, but not what happened to the 40 individual children in that care home. Berwald feels that if he pries any more, he'll break Pandora's Box and hell will break loose. But IVAN told him to look into Tino's past. But for what? Ivan is rich and powerful, he has Toris working for him, so why make someone else do the snooping while threatening to kill their family?

Luckily Tino will be out all day at work and Berwald can just call in sick and have Annika take over for today's duties. And Gilbert…

The Swede dismissed that name and forced it to the back of his mind. The last thing he wanted right now is for that flirty German to hang around him and unknowingly remind him of the sex they had.

The care home that Tino was raised in isn't actually far. All Berwald has to do is drive for an hour to get to the border of Finland and then spend 10 minutes looking for the isolated care home and see if he could uncover anything that the media has missed out and then return to Sweden before Tino returns in the evening. Thank goodness that Peter is visiting his friend's house for study time until 8 in the evening…

So he stepped out of his apartment with sandwiches in his briefcase to snack on later and locked the door and entered the elevator. It wasn't until he reached the ground floor that he told himself that he should've worn ordinary clothes instead of this stuffy work suit. Darn it. Ah well.

He took out his mobile and called in sick to a worried Annika before hearing a voice from besides his car. "Hey, Ber~!"

Berwald blinked and stared at a woman with waist length black hair and a black-and-red checked dress that reached her knees. Her striking red eyes caught him by surprise and he looked closely at the woman's features with a heavy sigh.

"Gilbert… what do ya think yer doin', dressing up as a woman?" he asked.

Gilbert's grin stretched. "I don't want that creep Ivan to see me with you! So what are you doing? Going to work? Can I come along?"

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><p>AN: Ok, I'm so sorry that this chapter was extremely short, but I haven't worked on this fanfic for a while and I'll need to re-read the other chapters to help refresh my ideas and memory.


	8. Finding the Orphanage

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya!

A/N: So I get a message from my American Dream saying that her cosplayer friends wanted to create a movie based on this story. Good luck to them if they're pulling off the smexy SvePru scenes xD

EDIT: Maybe not smex scenes, because I'll be removing those from this fanfic or toning them down to make them more suggestive than sexy. Sorry guys :/

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><p>Berwald drove his car along down the road silently as Gilbert sat there besides him with a big grin on his face.<p>

No, let me rephrase that.

Berwald drove his car along down the road silently as Maria sat there besides him with a big grin on her face.

Gilbert Beilschmidt is, right now, a transvestite known as Maria Weilschmidt.

"Soo… we're investigating your wife's past?" He asked. His hands played with the hem of his short skirt. Berwald's sneaky eyes noticed that the other man even shaved his legs, although the cross-dresser will still be seen as a slightly-muscled woman.

"Ja…" Berwald sighed just as the car left the city.

"What did ya find out so far?" Gilbert asked again.

"Well…" the Swede started, not once taking his eyes off the road, "Tino was 'n a care home h's whole life, but h' and some other kids got abused there."

"Oh… I'm sorry…" Gilbert grumbled, "so why are ya going there when you could just ask him?"

"Tino 's out all day. Plus h' refuses to speak about h's past. As far as I know, h's happiest memories are with me," Berwald said softly.

"You're a good husband," Gilbert frowned. "Nobody would stick with a wife that rapes you for long."

"Ya don't get it unless y' know Tino personally. He's different wh'n he hurts me an' looks at me as if I'm someone else…"

"The care home! It's something to do with the people there, right? Could it be trauma and stuff like that?" the German bit his lip, "kids are easily messed up for life once they get assaulted in such—"

Berwald suddenly swerved the car and it's tyres screeched loudly and parked it at the side of the empty road and he glared at Gilbert, who was startled at the sudden movement. "Just drop it. Get out."

"Hey! I'm sorry if I offended you! It has to be true though, right? Kids are easily influenced! Trust me, I was the one who raised my little brother and even with my influence he behaves as if he's got a stick up his arse!" the cross-dresser ranted.

"How will ya help me with someone I've known fer years?" Berwald asked calmly. "Tino's m' wife. Not yours."

"Well, Ivan's my boss and he told ya to research Tino's past. Why would he, anyway?" Gilbert said loudly.

His Swedish companion looked at him, sucking in a breath as he thought over the question. "He… prescribed medication for Tino 'n exchange for me sleeping with ya…" he started. Gilbert just nodded. He seems to know about his "appointments" with Berwald coming up. "But… he doesn't need medication… h' needs someone t' understand him without him havin' ter explain anything at all…"

"But could he be trying to show you?" Gilbert asked, tilting his head. "Like… his attacks on you at night… maybe he wasn't the attacker in his past but he was the VICTIM, and victims explain things differently… with words or whatever…"

Berwald just nodded, sighing and resting his head on the steering wheel. "I know. I know how trauma affects victims. 's horrible. Ivan threatened t' kill my family if I don't sleep with ya…"

A hand rested on his shoulder and his eyes searched out for Gilbert's while still resting his head on the cool leather of the wheel. "I knew that too… I'm with ya because I want to understand Ivan's plan with me and you and your family."

"He said yer stayin' in the country because of him… why were ya here in the first place if ya got family in Germany?" Berwald asked and sat up. "Does he have something t' do with y'r family too?"

For a few silent moments, Gilbert shut his eyes and nodded. Sadly. "My bruder isn't married for long, and his cute 'wife' is too sweet to hurt anyone. I don't want their innocence to be lost because of that bastard boss of mine…"

"So he got ya in this country?"

"Ja."

"Illegally?"

"That's an ugly word…"

"…" Berwald started the car and drove off again, joining the road. The border isn't very far away now, which is lucky since it's almost 10 in the morning, meaning they both still have a whole day together. No appointments, no demands, no interference from anybody… it'll be just them, investigating Tino's past…

* * *

><p>Tino sighed happily after pushing some supplies into a cleaning closet. Supermarket work is boring, but it gives him a decent salary at least. The pay isn't a generous as Berwald's, but hey it helps towards buying treats for Peter…<p>

But the job is still good. He just cleans out in the supermarket, meeting customers, helping them out when the staff are being too goddamn lazy, more cleaning, ordering disinfectants, tidy shelves when the staff are being lazy again and more cleaning… it's very boring, but at least he's helping the family earn more…

"Ah, excuse me…"

Tino blinked and turned around and almost gasped. Standing there nervously was a tall man with sunny-blonde hair and dark blue eyes; he wore rectangular spectacles that almost made him look like Berwald, except this man expresses more emotion… like worry right now.

"H-Hello, how may I help you?" Tino asked, trying to smile like a professional, though his heart was skipping wildly at the similarities of this man and his husband in appearance.

"I know this may sound strange, but are you… Tino Vainamoinen?" the man asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

"Yes, I am. Why? Do I know you from somewhere?" Tino smiled again, desperately trying to think quickly over his memories of names and faces that he knows through his whole life.

"That's good! I'm Eduard VonBock. Yes, I was asked to meet you by someone important…"

* * *

><p>Soon Berwald drove through the forest where the road was almost impossible to drive through because of overgrown weeds and tree roots raising the ground, but he drove over them carefully.<p>

"So are we there yet?" Gilbert asked.

"Ja," his companion murmured and all of a sudden the trees disappeared and a giant mansion appeared in sight as well as some giant menacing iron gates, which he braked the car by and got out, surveying the area.

The mansion itself seemed as if it was here for decades, judging by the frail-looking windows in shaky wooden frames and the gothic black colours that decorated the outside of the building. There seemed to be 3 whole floors altogether plus an attic at the top, which has been boarded from the inside. The iron gates which stood in Berwald and Gilbert's way of the mansion has thick heavy chains and a big rusting padlock around the wide handles, preventing any thieves or anything from going inside the grounds of the dirty-looking building. The only thing that told visitors that it was a home for orphans was the rotting wooden sign behind the tall main gates with the following words "koti orvoille." All the other words were too worn-away from being weathered over the year or they had holes in them from being eaten by woodworm. But those words were enough to confirm to Berwald where they are.

"That's Finnish for 'Home for Orphans'," Berwald said to Gilbert, who was tugging at the chains noisily.

"Well the place is locked, it's obviously shut down!" Gilbert ranted and kicked the gates, clanging the chains and shook the rusty padlock. "I guess we'll have to turn back or find the key…"

Berwald's eye glinted as he noticed something. "Kick th' gate again."

Confused, Gilbert stepped back and did a run up to the gate before slamming his foot into it and the padlock jiggled, but it seemed to open a little.

"AHA!" Gilbert cheered and handled the padlock, which was big compared to his hands. "It's so rusted; it'll probably break under my awesome strength!" Berwald watched (with slight amusement) as the cross-dresser tried to pull the weakened padlock apart, but he only managed to pull it a full inch before he gave up and took some breaths. "Fucking hell, why is this so hard to break!"

With a simple "Here", Berwald took the padlock from the German's hands and simply twisted it, snapping the metal loudly and he slipped the dead padlock from the links of the chains, dropping it to the floor. Gilbert stared… and then pouted, murmuring something about "sexy Swedes having all the strength" as he started to yank at the chains which kept the gates shut sealed from the outside world.

Chinking and clanging and metallic rings of the chains all pulsed into the forest surrounding the tall-walled grounds of the mansion as the pair spent a few minutes trying to untangle the multitude of heavy chains which either got caught in each other, or frustratingly get tangled again in another bunch of chains.

Gilbert was seething. "Dammit they really don't want us to see the mansion…" he paused and looked at the mansion, staring at it for a few seconds. "This is… sorta familiar… it reminds me of some place I been to…"

Berwald looked at him blankly. "Ya been here?" But Gilbert shook his head in reply.

"No… same place… but elsewhere, somewhere in another world… OH! I got it!" Gilbert cheered and stepped back while holding a long chain, pulling it. "Big guy! The links are weak, so like, pull the chain with me and let it break!"

Berwald just did as he was told and stepped behind the smaller male, grabbing the chain as well and they pulled at the same time, grunting.

"Fuck this is hard… keep pulling!"

"Ja, ja…"

They heard a few links break, but these smaller links were too close to their straining hands and they almost tumbled back onto each other when the links they're holding snapped.

Gilbert just blankly glanced at Berwald and said, "This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

* * *

><p>AN: Did we just have a HetaOni moment somewhere in the story? O_O After playing HetaOni, I'm mentally screaming at the sight of every mansion I see XD

I used Google Translate for any non-English words, so correct me if I got anything wrong so I could change them to the proper words.

AND ALSO… I did not have a name for a specific location of the orphanage or where Berwald and his family lives at, so you can use your imagination :) Obviously I don't live in Sweden or Finland so I don't know much about their cultures or attitudes towards subjects like prostitution or crime against young children… I have heard that Sweden is the best country in the world for child welfare – pretty fitting since he loves his adopted son Peter so much ^_^

And… I'm kinda blushing, but I really admire Scandinavians (and other Nordic peoples)… they're just so cool… I dunno why… They're so differently awesome from us losers in the rest of Europe…

Sorry I took so long to update this fanfic, but I hope it's worthwhile.

MORE CHAPTERS TO COME~


	9. Inside the Mansion Laced With Horror

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya

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><p>Gilbert and Berwald, after a few moments of deliberation, decided to break the chains from both sides of the gate to finish the job more quickly. While a chilly wind blew, they started to unwind the chains and yanking them. A lot of the smaller chains were now easy to pull off the gate, slithering out from between the larger chains like metallic snakes as they are pulled out and thrown to the floor behind the pair. The thick chains, however, were proving a big challenge even to Berwald's strength as he tried to pull the rustier ones apart.<p>

"Come on! Where's that awesome strength ya showed me earlier!?" Gilbert cheered and his hands followed along a small chain before grabbing a rusted link. The thicker chains were as thick as an adult man's wrist, but a few links were so rusted that they're crumbling slightly.

"Gilbert—"

Gilbert shushed him and glared a little before gesturing his hands at his dress and his hair and he raises his eyebrows. Berwald sighed. "Sorry, Maria. I want ya to step back. I c'n take these chains down with one pull 'f I hold th' right link."

Gilbert grinned and he stepped away from the double gates. "Got it! Won't the snow be a bother though? What if the gate drags?"

"We'll just pull it out t' have as much space as we need t' squeeze past." With that, Berwald reached out and held onto a large link tightly and tugged back experimentally, seeing what would happen. The gates shuddered and snow fell off, but nothing else happened besides the wind whistling in between the bars. He took a breath and leaned back, pulling the link again harshly.

Suddenly he heard a snapping noise of metal breaking and the link broke, freeing the ends of two chains as they fell and dangled in the air within reach. Gilbert cheered and bounced a little.

"Awesome! Lets bust this thing open and get inside already!" He ran over and pulled at a loose thick chain and stepped back to pull it out more when it seized up. He yelled angrily and yanked the metal again and again.

"Calm down, Gi—Maria," Berwald grumbled. "Look. The large ones are wound around the bars. Just un-weave them and we'll be in in no time."

"I-I knew that!" Gilbert ranted and he impatiently pulled the chains around the bars as Berwald did his side of the gate more patiently.

After a few moments of chinking metals and unwinding chains, Gilbert stared at Berwald as he finished his job. "How did you do your job so quickly?!"

"Haste makes waste." The gate besides Berwald squeaked when he simply pulled at it until it swung open a little, leaving a gap perfectly big enough for them to fit through. "Now lets go."

* * *

><p>After the gates, there is a large playground surrounding the front of the mansion. Right now it's buried completely in snow.<p>

Gilbert shivered as he walked, hugging himself. Berwald wasn't bothered by the cold, but he felt sorry for his cross-dressing friend who only had knee-length socks and simple shoes to protect his legs from the cold…

"Inside," Berwald murmured, ignoring the wispy white vapour that left his mouth when he spoke and trudged through the slightly deep snow towards the stone steps and rested his hand on the iron ring-shaped handle. It was freezing cold, but the Swede held on and tugged it. It was obvious that the doors were locked when he tried to push the door as well, and he even tried to twist the ring around to see if it opens the door that way, but nothing happened.

And then there was a hollow wooden sound as the left door swung open and Berwald looked at a grinning Gilbert, who did a mock bow. "After you, Princess Lockstress~!"

Amused by his nickname for him, Berwald walked inside and into a large hall. He stopped to look at the dusty floor, the empty picture frames hanging off the dirty blank walls, the wooden and rotted staircase that's very wide and leads to only a second floor… There was nothing grand about the place. The only thing that's considered "grand" is the size of this hall.

"Wow. A lick of paint would make the place remotely better…" Gilbert muttered under his breath, shivering. "Is it me or is it even colder in here?"

Berwald turned to look at the open door's inside handle. "There isn't a lock on it. Maybe the occupants took everything that has value with them when they left…"

"Say… Big Guy… why did this place get abandoned… assuming that the owners got rid of all the evidence of… abuse?" Gilbert said slowly as he glanced around.

"I don't know. Kids grow up. They either grow up corrupted or grow up to be ordinary adults. While the corrupted ones came from here, you probably got some ordinary children who haven't been hurt, but they knew what was going on and they thought that becoming adults will help them feel stronger, and brave enough to tell the world about the abuses…"

"You're really insightful."

"Thanks, but that's most likely why this place shut down. The owners take the money, and then they run away with the money to go into hiding and put their money in an off-shore account for safety," Berwald said. "Shall we split up and search the ground floor?"

"I don't know… I don't like the look of this place…" Gilbert frowned. "How about we check upstairs first? There should be some sort of office."

"Alright… Top floor, then work out way t' this floor."

Though the pipes in the building rattled and the wind outside whistled coldly, the pair took careful steps up the stairs without flinching out of worry; silently wary about the small pinprick-sized holes in the wood. Their footsteps echoed in the lonely hall until it died down when they reached the threshold of the second floor. Around them is another hall, but it's much smaller and there are many more doors up here along with thin corridors at the corners.

Berwald flinched when Gilbert nudged his elbow and he sighed in relief, shivering a little. "Sorry, I los' it then…"

"Keep calm, Ber, it's only two floors," Gilbert frowned. "But with just many more doors. Just stick by the Awesome Me and you'll be totally fine!"

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><p>They explored the first small corridor first, but the rooms only contained 2 bunk beds in each one, making it so that 4 children sleep in each one. But the beds seem oddly long in length for something that kids have to sleep on. The only evidence that showed what the beds were are the steel-frames of the bunks and the extremely thin mattresses which were covered in mould and parasites. The windows were boarded from the inside but some sunlight still came through the holes that the woodworm made.<p>

Berwald realised something. "Those beds ar' adult sized. They're fer adults…"

Gilbert snapped is attention to him, face paling. "Holy shit, I just realised… d-didn't adults with mental learning difficulties and disabilities used to get locked up in these sort of places!?"

The wind didn't chill their hearts this time.

"I'd hate to know what had happened to those who weren't ethnically Finnish…" Gilbert grumbled.

Some of the bunk beds were varied in different lengths, but the order they're in is random, like you have to pick your own bed that you're most comfortable in otherwise your feet will hang over the edge and possibly get bitten by rats.

Then soon Gilbert almost shrieked because he saw a huge dried-up bloodstain on the floor outside a dormitory room along with long streaked marks on the door. Scratches. It was dried up already; it was far too long ago that it dried up to be recent. Besides freaking the hell out of Berwald with that episode, they saw a rat scurrying around until it stopped and looked at them, blinking its surprised beady black eyes before washing its own head and ran off.

But all the dormitories had one thing in common. They only have beds in them. No toys, no curtains and not even a dresser were in sight.

And then they got to the corridor which has less doors, but more comforts to them inside. Berwald and Gilbert assumed that they belonged to the well-fed staff members because inside the rooms were round rugs, large oak dressers, thick dark curtains and empty bedframes. It was a simple design, but it looked even more inviting than the children's bedrooms.

"Sickening," Gilbert growled. "Was it too much to give children a room that COULD keep them warm?"

Berwald said nothing. This was worse than he thought. He did expect an abusive carehome to be this cold and derelict, but bedrooms that are almost bare? That's just horrible. And what the heck was that bloodstain outside a bedroom all about? Those scratches on the door looked too much like they came from human fingernails. This is becoming more terrifying by the minute.

How DID Tino survive his childhood in such a place?

They looked at the dressers, but they're all empty apart from one drawer which has a silver key inside; gleaming, shiny and pristine.

"Sweet~ How much would this sell for?"

Berwald snatched the key out of his hand and walked out the room, trying not to be furious.

"Hey, I was joking! Who would want a boring old silver key anyway?" the German ranted and quickly followed him. Berwald stopped walking and Gilbert bumped into his back, huffing. "What now?"

"We haven't checked the last room on this floor yet… the main office."

Gilbert understood and he took a breath.

* * *

><p>They already found the main office, but they couldn't help but feel an odd presence in the room as if someone is sitting in there already.<p>

"Main offices have records… there should be records on Tino in here," Gilbert gulped, staring at the wooden door. "Records are good. Records keep the world in check… h-hooray for records…"

Silently, Berwald twisted the handle on the door and pushed it…

The door swung and squeaked loudly, but there wasn't anything in the room at all. Not a single thing. Not a single desk or filing cabinet was anywhere. Absolutely nothing, but the floorboards, blank walls and a broken window which the screaming wind blew in and brought snow in to build up on the floor under the window.

"Th-that was…" Gilbert leaned against the doorframe, trying not to faint from relief and he took a long shivering breath before sneezing. "Anticlimatic…"

"It was…" Berwald growled lowly and left the room with furious steps. Gilbert gasped in a long breath and quickly relaxed and ran after him when he started to walk towards the tall stairs.

"Where're you going? We got all day to explore the place!"

"I don't care!" Berwald almost shouted and glared at Gilbert. "I found out nothin' about Tino's past, and what will yer boss do when he finds out I couldn't find anythin' useful!?"

"He'd understand."

"What a j'ke."

"No, seriously! He may be a cold-hearted bastard, but even he knows there are limits to what other people can do compared to him!"

"Gilbert-"

"MARIA."

"I don't fuckin' care—!"

SNAP.

They both froze and glanced down at the rotting steps, before the wood broke with another loud snap and they pair yelped and cried out as they fell into the abyss.

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><p>AN: Phew! That's more like it! A better-written chapter without stress holding me down! ^o^


	10. The Bowel of Hell

A/N: Hey guys! I'm going to do something new for my fanfics. Every time you see a *, click on the link to go to a YouTube video that'll play music that fits with the scene as you read the fanfic. When you see the * again on its own, it means the music for the situation should finish or be paused.

EDIT: I got rid of the youtube links: I officially hate for automatically deleting forward slash symbols. Putting names up instead.

* * *

><p>*Youtube: Round that corner by Myuuji<p>

Berwald coughed and groaned as soon as he felt his body ache and twinge with pain; his eyes felt like they were dipped in sand, except the intense itching was caused by dry dust, making his eyes water. His glasses were missing, he realised as he felt his face for the spectacles. "Gilbert…?" He's short-sighted without his glasses, but this was even worse. Wherever he is, he's in a place where it's completely dark or he has that much dust irritating his eyes. He felt hands on his chest and an urgent panicked voice telling him to stay where he is. Berwald paused. "Gilbert, where are m' glasses?"

"I can't see anything down here! Don't you have a lighter?" Gilbert's voice complained through the darkness. His Swedish companion can feel the other male shivering intensely. This place is even colder than when they were outside.

"No. I only got m' mobile's backlight…" Berwlad murmured and rubbed his eye with his hand. "D'mn this dust is in m' eyes…"

"Huh. Cry then. That'll help." Gilbert suggested. "Meanwhile, I'll use my phone to light up the place…"

Berwald… has enough pride to not do something as silly as crying, but right now, the intense chill of this frozen, pitch-black room didn't stop him from trying to cry. He felt pathetic, but luckily his tears couldn't be seen. But he didn't like that he had to think of the most upsetting memories to bring some tears out. Mostly about him being restrained to his and Tino's bed at night. His stomach churned at the parts of the memories where his body gets cut and a bright light suddenly interrupts his train of thought. Gilbert's illuminated face frowned. "Are you feeling alright?" Berwald just quickly nodded and wiped away his excess tears.

"Can… can ya make the whole room lit up?" he asked, clearing his throat. He can only see their heads and torsos in Gilbert's mobile light.

Suddenly, a low haunting whistle echoed around the room along with a slice of intense artic-cold wind that stabbed at their attention spans. Gilbert whimpered and shook. "Dammit this is so fucking scary!"

But Berwald refused to cave in from the fear. He held Gilbert's hands in his, cradling the mobile in their hands while keeping the lights on. "Keep it together, we'll get out together."

"O-okay…"

"I can't see the distance. 'm short-sighted. So… you have t' be my guide. Scuffle yer feet…" he whispered close to his ear. Gilbert raised an eyebrow, but Berwald explained. "Because m' glasses fell off when we fell." Gilbert let out a small noise to show he understood and he slowly scuffled his feet towards Berwald while he moved to hold his mobile to flash the light ahead of him. His Swedish companion moved his hands to hold his arm instead and followed him in the darkness. They could hear each other's breaths for the few tense seconds of walking until Gilbert stopped suddenly and Berwald saw him grin.

"I found a light switch!" Gilbert grinned before pressing the switch and soon, a light flickered in the middle of the room dimly. Berwald blinked at the sudden change in lighting and he shut his eyes until his eyes felt ready. But he didn't hear a single word from Gilbert for the past 10 seconds.

And then Berwald opened his eyes. He wished he hasn't.

This room below the main hall was just as massive as the main hall itself, except there were door-less openings at the walls which seem to lead to other corridors and rooms. This room was very bare, save for the rubble that Berwald and Gilbert fell down with. While the walls were grey with age and covered with black speckles of mould, the grey concrete floor… had more dried blood on it. More dried blood than that puddle from the second floor of the building. Worse. There were drag-marks on the floor too where the dried rusty-brown blood were at. Somewhere, a dripping noise could be heard and Berwald paled the more he realised what this part of the house could be.

"Gilbert…" he murmured quietly. Gilbert was so preoccupied with a mix of curiosity and horror he didn't even correct Berwald. "What… do ya think they did here?"

Gilbert whispered out numbers as he looked at the rectangular openings on the walls around them. "6… there are 6 corridors or rooms… hehe…" he laughed nervously, trying to uplift his spirit, but fear supressed it. No light could be seen from within those mysterious rooms.

The lighting from the single, simple lightbulb was low, and it occasionally flickered at random times like it's almost ready to die out. Berwald saw this and he held Gilbert's hand tightly. "We need to get out of here. Now."

Gilbert silently nodded, feeling his throat constrict just as his nose registered a rotting scent that screamed 'death' in his mind. "H-hey… do you smell blood?"

Berwald just nodded, looking around as he felt as if his heart became cold. "…It's fresh."

"H-how do we get out of here, then?!" Gilbert panicked. "This is not awesome!"

They looked up at the ceiling where there is now a massive hole – about 5 metres big in diameter – but no light followed from the main hall. They fell for quite a while as if they are deep, deep underground… The hole is just a black pit with specks of dust falling from within it.

"We can't reach that hole… and we fell really far…" Berwald commented, sighing in disappointment. Gilbert groaned loudly and hid his face angrily. His yells echoed around the room and carried on for 5 seconds in the other rooms until they died down.

"Well then!" Gilbert growled. "We'll just have to explore these fucking creepy corridors then IN TOTAL DARKNESS."

Berwald nodded silently and the German glared so intensely that his red eyes seemed vivid. But then he felt his hand being held tightly and he looked at his companion with a softer expression. "We'll get out of here. I pr'mise."

Gilbert let go of his hand for brief moment so he could walk over to the rubble of wood and plaster and pick up a pair of unharmed spectacles with a smile. "Wear these first, then I can trust you won't lead us into a wall!"

* * *

><p>There were 6 corridors that did not have any doors to cover them. Time was of the essence, so Berwald just chose the nearest one at random; the door-less entrance which was close to the lone light switch. Using the backlight of their mobile phones and while they held hands, they walked slowly in the near-darkness as they left the underground hall behind. They were both silent in this deathly-cold hallway…<p>

Their mobile phones didn't give them much lighting in this biting darkness, but at least it gave them at least a meter's distance of light. Not much, but better than nothing…

It was about 1 minute later when they stopped to look at some iron bars blocking their path. It seemed to be an iron door with a rusted lock. Gilbert let go of Berwald's hand and experimentally shook the door, but it didn't budge. Nothing happened.

Like a flash, Berwald took out the silver key that he had discovered in the main office and handed it to Gilbert. The German grinned and fitted the key into the lock and turned… but nothing happened. Gilbert sighed and handed the key back to him as he made his mobile lit up again. "Let's turn back… 5 more doors to go, unless… we're trapped…"

"Nej. We're not trapped. We will get out." Berwald said this firmly and held his hand again, but some doubt gnawed at the edge of his mind…

So they turned back to go to the main underground hall – still the same, blank blood-stained square hall – and they tried the next corridor, but there was also an iron gate there that the beautiful silver key could not open. This brought their hopes down, but they continued with the next corridor and that one had a locked, cold iron gate too. Now, these gates are only a meter wide, but they're strangely short in height – around 1 and a half meter. All the gates they encountered so far were the same size and are identical. They tried the third corridor, but it was the same as before. Same for the fourth and fifth corridors and by then, the tension was growing with a dangerous seedling of paranoia expanding the more the pair realised there are less places that they are able to go through to escape from this hellish foster home.

There's just corridor number 6 left.

*Youtube: Something's Wrong by Myuuji

"Berwald… what if we can't get out of here?" Gilbert asked quietly as they walk up corridor number 6, which was oddly colder than the other parts of the underground hall.

Berwald was silent as he looked ahead with a steeled glare. He spoke after a few moments of thinking. "Then we'll jus' have ta break out with yer hair pins again…"

But the closer they got to the gate (which took longer than it did for the other corridor searches, the more they could smell… something off-putting. A very strong smell of meat.

"Berwald…" Gilbert spoke warily as his steps slowed down the close they got to the gate. Berwald could read his worries at that moment, but he walked on, ignoring the powerful scent and suddenly chilly wind that blew from the room; he even dragged Gilbert slightly.

They reached the simple gate, but it seemed new compared to the other gates. There is little to no rust or blood on it at all. Berwald sucked in a breath as he pushes the silver key into the lock…

And turned it…

Before it got turned further…

But then it stopped turning.

No click was heard.

Berwald and Gilbert stared at each other in shock and horror. They were trapped. They could not advance.


	11. Discovery

The darkness was suffocating. The light bulb exploded earlier and made the two men jump as they sat on the rubble in the middle of the room to think of an escape plan. Gilbert's hairpins could not unlock the rusty locks of the 5 iron gates, and the 6th newer lock just broke his spare hairpin.

They forgot how long they were down here in this cold hell for, but just as Berwald went to check the time on his mobile… it ran out of power and he cursed, slamming the device to the ground. The Nokia mobile only sustained some small scratches and a slight crack on its screen… Gilbert didn't bother checking his mobile out.

"Hey… could ya call emergency services to get us outta here?" Berwald asked quietly.

"I can't," his companion grunted. "The signal here is virtually non-existent."

'We really are trapped,' Berwald thought grimly and rested his cheek against his hand. Maybe he won't die because of Tino after all, but slowly die down here from starvation and exposure to the cold. At least he wouldn't die alone as long as Gilbert is with him. But that lingering smell of rotting meat still permeated in the air and it's bothering the two men greatly. No matter which corridors they looked at, the smell seems to be at its strongest in this particular space of the massive room. They only thought it was the 6th corridor that had the strange meaty smell, but that was before they realised it just smells rusty and that fear was confusing their minds and senses. Fear is dangerous. Fear can manipulate on what you believe is there when it isn't.

He stood up and pocketed his abused mobile, looking around and sniffing the air. He couldn't hear any buzzing of insects, because if you have rotting meat you have insects or… wild animals… wild CARNIVOROUS animals… around, then you can tell where they are. Meanwhile, Gilbert was examining the crumbling pieces of concrete and thin iron poles and rotting wooden parts. He planned on making a ladder or a tower for them to scale back to the hole they fell through, but then the iron bar snapped in half when he tried to do a balancing trick on it and almost broke his neck, but luckily he fell on his butt.

"Hey, Big Guy, kiss it better?" Gilbert grinned, managing to find his humour in the dire circumstances as he waggles his butt at Berwald. The Swede thought he was going crazy himself when he started laughing softly at Gilbert's behaviour and turned away to look at the door-less corridors.

As he tried formulating plans in his mind, he felt a warm hand wrap around his and he turned his head to face Gilbert. His face was really close to his, though it is quiet and devoid of any fear.

"Hey… can I kiss you?" his lips asked, "it's not as if we're going to get out of here for a long while, right?"

Berwald couldn't deny the tight knot in his conscience that they probably won't ever get out of here, but his heart made slow beats that grew faster. That's it. He gave up trying to think of escape plans as soon as he pulled Gilbert's body against his and he kissed him, lips searching in synch with his through the harsh darkness. Their hands found their way under their shirts and hair was tugged, throats were softly nipped at (or bitten after silent consents) and domination heated them. Gilbert's wig was taken off ages ago as they lay there on the stiff ground with Berwald's fingers enjoying the soft feel of the German's real hair.

* * *

><p>It was unknown how long they spent there, basked in the intense warmth emanating from their heated bodies, but they cuddled close when they have both finished with tired breaths. They didn't say anything. They didn't need to.<p>

"Hn…" Gilbert grumbled, pressing his cheek against Berwald's shoulder. As soon as he was fully conscious, he shivered violently when he felt the cold still wavering in the underground hall. Berwald woke up too and his wrapped his other arm around the German in a tight hug, burying his face in his silvery locks and inhaled. "Freaking cold… and I'm hungry too…" Berwald kissed his forehead, responding with an "I know."

Their stomachs rumbled loudly and Gilbert laughed while Berwald gave out a nervous chuckle. The German slowly moved out of his arms and he grabbed his clothes, putting them on to cover his bare body.

"Uhm… am I interrupting anything, gentlemen?"

Gilbert and Berwald both gasped and sharply looked up at the ceiling, where a policeman hangs onto a rope ladder trailing from the huge hole they fell through earlier. He adverted his eyes as soon as he saw Berwald, who was still completely naked. The Swede didn't know why he looked away until Gilbert snickered and threw his clothes at him. "Get dressed, Big Guy."

* * *

><p>The policeman eventually climbed down to the ground, followed by other officers with their own torches. They didn't react loudly like Gilbert thought they would when they saw the dried blood smears, but on the contrary they just calmly got out some forensic testing kits.<p>

All of a sudden, with this many people buzzing around with lights and test kits, the underground hall doesn't look so scary after all.

The first officer introduced himself to a fully-dressed Berwald and Gilbert.

"My name is Arthur Kirkland, an Inspector for this investigation. I would be back home in England, but someone make a cock-up up of records and ended up sending British officers abroad to Europe. I'm stranded here until they set records straight or I complete this investigation," the blonde man sighed. Gilbert wouldn't stop staring at his thick eyebrows and Berwald had to tap his shoulder to get his attention.

"Well… My name is Berwald Oxenstierna, and this is my companion—"

"MARIA Beilschmidt," the German grinned, giving the Swede a playful nudge with her elbow. But Arthur raised an eyebrow and looked at his face for a few seconds before looking away with some shock in his face.

The policeman seemed really uncomfortable as he rubbed his head. "Ah, I do apologise for any... transphobia... that I may have exhibited… But I'll need to know your official name that you are born with, then I'll write that down alongside with 'Maria.'"

Gilbert huffed. "Okay, okay, my real name is Gilbert. But besides that, refer to the awesome me as Maria! And no, you weren't being deliberately transphobic."

Berwald whispered to Arthur quickly, "Don't worry, he's not a transsexual, he just loves cross-dressing."

"Hey!"

"Oka, so…" Arthur murmured as he finished writing in his notepad and looked at the pair. "What are you two doing here in this foster home?"

Huh. Tricky questions already. Berwald and Gilbert glanced at each other, wondering what to say. Finally, Berwald spoke.

"We're here because m' partner used t' be 'n care here and I want t' know what really happen'd to him here," he said calmly. He wasn't exactly lying.

"So you two are not… well, together?" Arthur glanced between them, awkwardly fiddling with his pen. The men quickly shook their heads. "Alright. Thanks for your time. Go up that rope ladder and someone'll escort you two to the ambulance."

"Wait a second," Gilbert spoke quickly before he could turn. "Why are you guys doing here? I thought this place was supposed to be off-limits! How could you have known we were here?"

Silence. Everybody who worked on their little tasks of evidence-gathering stopped and stared at the silverette. Arthur pursed his lips and spoke after what seemed like an eternity of 10 seconds and clicked his pen.

"We didn't. We only knew the existence of this place from an anonymous tip-off."

What? An anonymous tip-off? From someone who obviously knows the existence of this place.

"…What? Who told you to come here? Is it Braginski?!" Gilbert yelled, feeling his blood boil.

"I am not allowed to divulge any information on that!" Arthur snapped suddenly, but Berwald could see otherwise.

Gilbert hissed at him closely. "That bastard has threatened Berwald that if he doesn't do as he says then he'll kill his family if he doesn't find out more about his wife's past here!"

Arthur spoke back sternly. "I want you to leave immediately and go to the ambulance. From the fall of 10 feet, I'm sure you have probably suffered concussion and are therefore thinking crazy theories. Berwald." He turned to the Swede. "You seem like a gentleman who can get situations under control easily. I want you to talk sense into your companion. In fact, I'll have the ambulance take you two to the nick as soon as you are both treated."

* * *

><p>Gilbert was like an angry albino cat as he wouldn't stop hissing about grumbling about Officer Kirkland, the English policeman. Berwald on the other hand was just quietly listening to him, thinking about today's events. Right now they're at the police station back in Stockholm after a long journey. Luckily somebody collected his car for him, which is now waiting outside the building in the compound. As they sat in the interrogation room, Gilbert still carried on bitching about 'stupid, sexy British policemen'.<p>

After a few minutes, Arthur walked into the room and sat opposite them, sighing as he splayed his papers and photographs over the table. Some photos showed familiar parts of the building that they had already been to and seen, but the others were a complete mystery. They assumed the unfamiliar photos were taken from the ground floor rooms. The police did not miss the dried blood puddle from the one corridor outside a bedroom as a photo clearly shows it on bright glossy paper. Gilbert finally stopped ranting as he stared at the photos with unblinking eyes as if relieving the slight horror he felt from those chilly halls.

"I take it you examined the whole building?" Arthur asked. The men shook their heads.

"Not all of it. We agreed to search the place from top to bottom," Berwald answered clearly.

Gilbert suddenly snickered; "Literally." Arthur ignored him.

"We searched th' top floors an' we were about ta check th' bottom floor when the floorboards…" Berwald trailed off when the policeman nodded and pointed to a photograph of the massive hole in the grand stairs.

"So… you searched the top floors, but then fell through the stairs and proceeded to check out the 6 corridors?"

The men silently nodded.

"Okay then… did you have trouble trying to open those iron gates?" Arthur asked.

"Ja, we did. We tried usin' hairpins…"

Gilbert snorted. "MY hairpins."

"But you couldn't even get the locks to budge?" the Englishman asked.

"Nej, we couldn't." Berwald answered.

With that Arthur took out a radio and spoke quickly in Swedish, but he had a frustrated look in his face when he got a reply, before ranting back in English. "I'm not exactly the Queen of the United States of Fecking Swedish, you know!" His face was flushed, but then he spoke more Swedish at a slower pace and he nodded after a reply. He put his radio back and turned to the men. Gilbert was trying not to laugh loudly at the man's poor Swedish.

"Berwald. Gilbert said that your family are in danger. Are they? If so, I can give them around the clock security to protect them from threats," Arthur said quietly.

"W-well…" the Swede was clueless on what to say. "I'm… They're… They're actually alright." He said this lowly. "I'm th' manager o' Ikea. I get lots o' strange people threatenin' me, especially fer bargains."

Arthur chuckled at this. "Oh I completely understand. Prices that low are just criminally satisfying. I had to deal with a knifeman who stabbed somebody over a sofa in England once because the sofa was just £20. Twenty pounds for just a bloody three-seat sofa!" He laughed and Berwald nervously laughed a little. Gilbert just raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything.

"Well, if everything is alright and you have no more questions, I'll be here or call my number on this card," Arthur said as he handed out two white cards with his phone number on.

"I got a question!" Gilbert said abruptly and stood up with crossed arms. "Why were you and your guys at the foster home to begin with? What's there that could help Berwald's partner get over his insanity and crazy pills?"

"Gilbert!" Berwald growled. Arthur looked at them, frowning.

"I'm afraid it's classified," the Englishman said quietly and calmly. "It's a sensitive investigation carried out between the Swedish, Finnish and Russian governments."

"Why Russia?" The country's name brought a deathly scowl to Gilbert's face. "That Home is not on THEIR turf!"

"It's like I said; classified information." Berwald could see the patience is running thin on Arthur's face as a slight glare made its way onto his face, twisting his lips into pursing again and his pen snapped from being held so tightly. "Now please leave or I'll have you arrested for obstruction of an investigation."

* * *

><p>Arthur watched the two men leave the interrogation room quietly (with the German fuming silently) and he sighed heavily.<p>

"As soon as I get home to Birmingham, I'm going to have a nice, steaming cup of tea at the Bullring… if it's not raining…" he grumbled, gathering his photos together. He glanced up to see a young woman sitting on the edge of the table, looking down at him as she crossed her leg and shifted her long green skirt. Her braid tickled at Arthur's hand which still rested on a photograph.

"What do you want, oh greatest Special Agent Bonnefoy of Interpol?" he asked and rolled his eyes. The bespectacled woman smiled at him slightly.

Her French accent purred while she spoke. "Don't look worried, Arthur. I assigned you in this country for a special reason. I'm just here to inform you that I know who Berwald Oxenstierna is. In fact, I teach his son at school."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, really, Princess Frog?"

The agent giggled and got down from the table. She's short for a young woman of her age, but she is not short on looks when it comes to her beauty.

"Oh, oui~" she hummed. "The young boy has a connection to you too. The name Peter Kirkland should be familiar to you."

Arthur stared at her, face draining of all its colour. "What…? Peter… is here…?"

Monique Bonnefoy nodded grimly. "Berwald was lying when he said his family is safe. They're not safe at all. Keep investigating the Braginski case as well as the Foster Home abuses case, then I'll personally see to it that Peter is kept safe at all times; as his teacher and, as of tomorrow, newly-appointed family advisor."

* * *

><p>AN: Gets trapped in a haunted building. Has sex.

Pfft that should be a meme or something.


	12. The Beginning of the End

Back at the Starlight Glitter club, Ivan sat in his large chair at the office while he spoke into the phone to someone and fiddled with a pen. The door opposite him opened and Toris nervously entered with a tray while balancing a glass and a full bottle of vodka on it. Ivan pointed to the desk with a bored expression without even glancing at him and continued speaking.

"Da… oh, that's not good… …Really? Interpol? Nevermind. We can get more from south-east Asia instead of Syria… they'd pay hundreds to get rid of their own flesh and blood…"

Toris shivered at the replies and placed the tray onto the desk, but his hands were shaking so much, he accidentally knocked the bottle over and he yelped as it crashed to the floor and the clear fluid spilled everywhere. His shocked eyes shot up to stare at Ivan, but surprisingly, he was still talking into the phone…

Oh wait… he's frowning now…

"…Give me the rest at the end of this month, then we're done," he put the phone down before just gazing at Toris.

The boy stared back, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

"You spilled my drink," Ivan stated bluntly before standing up and walked around the desk. "Are there any more from the kitchen?"

Frightened as the man stood in front of him, Toris shook his head silently. Ivan shrugged casually, before suddenly lifting his boot and kicked Toris's shoulder violently. The male yelled as he collapsed back to the floor, clutching his shoulder and grit his teeth in pain.

"You should NOT have dropped my drink…" the boss growled and kneeled down, yanking Toris to his feet by his hair and he cried out. "How are you going to make up for this, hm?"

Toris didn't say anything, only holding back pained groans from the sharp pain in his limp shoulder. He suspected that it might be broken.

Ivan leant down to whisper to his face. "You'll just have to earn my money back after your shoulder gets fixed at the hospital. Miguel's just gone off to get killed a few minutes ago by the docks; you'll just have to take his job as my… stress toy. Don't expect me to give you any special treatment because you're my favourite."

* * *

><p>"…At least Braginski won't kill me," Gilbert remarked randomly as he walked down the street with Berwald. The sun is just about to set in the ever-far distance and the street lights softly glowed – the city council changed the lights with new energy-saving lightbulbs to cut costs, so the lights are dull compared to the old lightbulbs.<p>

Berwald turned to him, humming a "Hm?" to respond.

Gilbert nodded. "He calls me his favourite… He treats me like one too, always sharing some vodka with me whenever he's in a good mood, like when he successfully trafficked some human slaves from other continents without getting tracked down. Chocolates too, but I like chocolate only on pancakes with some maple syrup…"

"Huh. Reminds me of Concentration Camp soldiers…" Berwald muttered, walking on. He's not worried. His car is still in the tightly-secured police compound, but he felt like walking and stretching his legs after a long day.

"Eh? What about them?" Gilbert frowned.

"Well, you get these cold-hearted soldiers who won't hesitate to kill people systematically or torture them for fun, but then when they come home to their families, they become the most loving people in the world. I read a short poem about such a man, who came home to his young daughter and gave her a whole bar of chocolate to make up for not being home to play with her," the Swede explained. His companion snorted.

"Yeah, well, Ivan would make a perfect Nazi if it wasn't for his pig-ugly looks!"

"His accent isn't that appealing."

"Nor sexy."

Berwald chuckled and that earned him a shocked look from the German. "I can't imagine him in one of those Nazi-themed sex dungeons while wearing pink lingerie." Gilbert burst out laughing and doubled over against the taller man.

"Oh my god, Big guy! You can't just say that!" he coughed out and cackled loudly again. He was laughing so hard he was crying. Berwald laughed a little too, putting his arms around the shorter male to support him. But Gilbert's laughs were seriously… infectious. Berwald laughed a little harder until he had to lean against the wall of a restaurant so that he doesn't collapse. When he looked down at the German's eyes, he leant down to kiss his lips.

* * *

><p>In the bathroom connected to Ivan's office, Toris dabbed at the large bruise on his right cheek with a cold flannel before holding a tissue to pinch his bleeding nose. He was still shaking, but he couldn't stop no matter how warm the tiny bathroom was, which only consisted of very little floor space with a toilet, sink and a shower. Barely enough room to walk around, but he could just simply turn around and step into the shower, wash his hands or use the toilet. For now, he's applying some large, square plasters to the scratches on his hips and stomach, as well as his forehead where he accidentally banged it on the corner of Ivan's desk. Right now, he still feels dizzy from the thudding headache as well as a throbbing pain from his bandaged shoulder. Behind him, without knocking, the door swung open and Ivan strolled inside a couple of steps until he was behind Toris, staring at his face in the mirror. Toris stared at the mirror to look up at the taller man's face, shivering all over more violently.<p>

"M-Mr Braginski…" he whimpered. Large hands rested on his shoulders and lips brushed against his ear.

"Toris, I got a little job for you…~ Could you stay in my office and do your usual duties, please? I have a little job to do…"

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes, sir…" Toris gulped and those hands slid down his arms and onto his hips before arms snaked around his waist. The sensation from feeling those tough gloves lightly graze his skin make his eyelids flutter shut in pleasure. "What… where are you going…? Please don't leave me…" he asked in a low whisper.

"To teach Gilbert a lesson. I'll be back in an hour or two. Don't go home until I tell you to do so."

* * *

><p>Berwald and Gilbert finished laughing like drains a while ago and are both now walking along the streets, getting closer to the area where the German lives. The sun has finally set and the lights are glowing brighter as activity in the streets slowed down to a minimum to start the period of silence before the nightclubs open.<p>

"…So, we haven't found out much of your wife's past," Gilbert sighed. "I was hoping we'd find something, y'know?"

"Ja…" Berwald nodded, walking on. "I never travelled so much in one day before."

"Heh. It took me 6 days to get from Germany to Sweden," Gilbert bragged. "I swam across that stretch of sea, but then I accidentally ended up in Poland before they drove me out, calling me an illegal immigrant- HAH! I could say the same thing about them!"

Berwald sighed, but with a small smile. He was curious though… about why Gilbert left Germany in the first place—

"I think we should split from here. You live opposite me," Gilbert suddenly interrupted his thoughts. The Swede blinked and looked up and down the streets while cars zoomed past.

"Ah. True. I'll see ya soon, Maria."

He accidentally said 'Maria,' but Gilbert smiled at that.

"See you later, Big guy. We should spend more time like today," he winked.

Waving at him a little, the German turned and walked down the street alone until he disappeared into the distant darkness.

With a soft sigh and a flashback of all memories from today, Berwald checked his watch and noticed the time was almost 6'o'clock. Right now, Peter will be still at his friend's house and in a few minutes Tino will leave the supermarket to go home and drink coffee while eating salmiakki. He won't expect Berwald to return until 9.

But travelling to another country, being frozen, trapped underground, having sex and being questioned by police have all tired him out. Now there's nothing more refreshing to his mind than going home and having an early night's sleep… he'll just tell Tino that he had a headache from working so much and go home early. He won't be exactly lying since he's still stressed deep down from Ivan's death threat against Tino and Peter…

* * *

><p>Looking up at the tall block of flats, Ivan stood there while wearing a long black coat. In his hand a lighter flickered on and off as he played with it a little. Soon, someone walked out the main entrance to the building and they gave him a silent nod before Ivan handed over a wad of cash. The figure excitedly ran off past him, clutching the thick wad of bank notes which have been wrapped up with a ribbon to keep together, but then they stopped and examined their hand as it grew itchy and the skin suddenly started to break out in rashes before the skin swelled up rapidly and bloody sores suddenly burst open. The person is a man, and they cried out in panic as some strange infection tore at his skin with an oily substance. Ivan chuckled and turned to face him, switching the lighter on.<p>

"Try putting yourself out while having flammable hands," he remarked and lit up the man's jacket sleeve before his hands became massive fireballs. "There's a whole bucket of water down that alleyway."

Even though the man was wailing loudly from agony, he heard the words 'water' and 'alleyway' and immediately charged past the Russian before a loud hissing sound was heard in the darkness of the alleyway, but the screams grew louder that lasted for a few, pained minutes before the silence came. Ivan turned to shout at the darkness.

"I should've told you that there were 3 buckets – all filled with hydrochloric acid!" He chuckled a little before looking at the building's entrance, where a young, cross-dressing individual walked up to with a smile before pushing the door open and walking inside. Ivan's smile grew wider and he flicked his lighter on again.

"It's time."

* * *

><p>Berwald walked into his apartment, putting his suitcase by the door before shutting it and locking it. He kicked his shoes off and sighed heavily, leaning his forehead against the door. Home. Safe and sound.<p>

"Berwald?" a surprised voice caught him off-guard and he turned to see Tino, holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a packet of salmiakki in the other.

Berwald found it odd that despite all that happened between him and the young male, he felt his heart swell from happiness… or was it fondness? But anyway, the Swede stepped forward with a soft smile and pulled Tino into a long embrace.

Tino was confused, but he can only snuggle his head against his chest, breathing in his scent. "Berwald…" he whispered. "I missed you…"

Berwald's heartstrings were tugged at the tone of voice. It sounded innocent without any trace of malice or violence, like before Tino took on his violent behaviour streak against him. It was like their wedding day when they realised how much they loved each other again and again…

"I… I missed you too, Tino. I love you."

_Smash!_

Tino dropped the coffee and his salmiakki before leaning up to kiss Berwald passionately and hold his face. Berwald's arms pulled him close in a tight embrace and kissed the Finn in return. The kiss became heated as their hands roamed over each other's bodies and breathy moans were heard before their kissing came to a stop. The pair gazed at each other, breathing heavily to catch up with their breaths while their hearts raced.

"Tino…" Berwald muttered, stroking his face. Deep down, he was wishing for the old Tino to come back and supress every amount of violent behaviour so he could never hurt Berwald again—

"Berwald…" Tino whispered and rested his hand on the man's larger hand, "I want you…"

The Swede's body trembled… but then he saw how sincere Tino's eyes are to him. Maybe this means he won't hurt him violently tonight? Will they have time?

"I… I met a friend at work today…" Tino started quietly. He was shaking, Berwald noticed with a frown. "It's an old friend, actually. And they… they kissed me…"

"…Huh?"

"Y-yeah, he kissed me," Tino huffed with embarrassment. "But I told Eduard that I'm married, and he said he was extremely sorry, but I said it's alright because we're best friends and I—Will you mind if I invite him for dinner, sometime?"

"Uh… ya don't need ta ask me," Berwald shrugged. "It's your home too."

"Berwald… I need to talk about something too… Eduard… he's also a psychologist. I hardly need to say why I need his help…"

The taller man stared at his partner's eyes while the spilt coffee on the floor slowly cooled down.

* * *

><p>In his flat's living room, Gilbert laid back on the sofa (Still wearing his clothes from today) as he smiled up at the blank ceiling with today's memories brightly swirling in his mind. His body ached a little, but it was weeeell worth it. To top it all off, the pancakes he just ate seemed to have a better taste to them too. He mentally told himself to go visit Matthew sometime - his brother is still working at Ikea at this time of the evening.<p>

The German sighed with a smile as he patted his stomach. "Lots of fresh air, not enough pancake time!"

The tranquil peace ran on as the clock on the wall ticked on, and on, and on…

_Click._

Gilbert jumped at the small sound, which came from his wooden door, and he sat up, heart racing. He laughed nervously as his heart hammered. "Fucking hell, that made me jump. Maybe it's Mattie!" He looked up and shouted at the door. "I'll be there in a few minutes, Matthew! I wanna show you my awesome outfit like I promised!" He quickly put on his black wig, tugged up his long socks and slipped into his red shoes before quickly jumping to his feet and turned the handle on the door, but it wouldn't turn. He frowned and tried to turn harder, but the door seemed to be locked from the outside.

* * *

><p>"…Do you understand where I'm going with this, Berwald?" Tino asked quietly. His husband nodded softly. "I don't want to lose myself like that again… I don't want to give in to violence… I don't want to hurt you… it's like there's another 'me' within my body that wants to hurt people…" His eyes started to brim with tears and Berwald raised his thumb to brush them away.<p>

"So… yer psychologist friend… will they allow you to consult with him?" he asked. Tino nodded.

"He should anyway. I NEED to be myself again, for your sake and Peter's—" his throat seized and he choked back a sob, burying his face in Berwald's chest. "I can't hurt you! I love you! I fucking love you…! So much…!" His next words became illegible as they drowned in his sobs.

* * *

><p>"H-hey, Mattie, did you lock the door?" Gilbert laughed shakily. "Birdie, it's not funny~! Seriously, I got my arse scared a lot today, so can you please slow down on the practical jokes, please? I'll give you more pancakes if you stop…"<p>

But nothing happened… until he heard a loud scream coming from next door and there was a sound of furniture breaking and smashing loudly. The yelling and crying continued in a panicked mix of French and English. The German's heart rate shot up.

"MATTHEW!" Gilbert yelled and pounded the door. "MATTHEW! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

* * *

><p>"Tino… I promise you, you will get better," Berwald whispered and held his face close to his. "He's your friend, so he should help. I will support you to the ends of the Earth… m'wife…"<p>

"O-oh, Berwald… you really are the best husband in the world!" Tino cried before pulling him into a long kiss, and more tears ran down his cheeks.

Gilbert suddenly stopped when he pressed his ear against his door to listen to a very sharp hissing sound coming from outside. He could smell something now, something dangerously familiar that spurred his body to drug itself with even more adrenaline.

"Gas…?

Suddenly, the fire alarms blared and all hell broke loose.

* * *

><p>At the police station, Arthur was chatting to Monique when they both heard a startling loud explosion from somewhere and they gasped, looking around before staring at each other in horror.<p>

* * *

><p>Berwald and Tino's kiss was sharply interrupted when they heard a loud boom somewhere outside their apartment block and they stared at each other.<p>

"What… was that…?" Berwald blankly stated, feeling confused and disturbed by the explosion.

Tino quickly ran over to the tall windows and looked out, peering into the darkness, but you didn't need glasses to see that a whole building a few streets away is completely engulfed in flames. It shone like a beacon with intense flames and towering plumes of grey smoke against the night sky. Berwald walked over too to see what was going on, frowning as he tried to think of street names.

"Terrorist attack?" Tino gulped, shaking all over.

"No… there's nothing special there. It's just an area full of council flats and—" Berwald suddenly stopped talking as he realised where the explosion was coming from.

"GILBERT!"


	13. On Fire

Tino turned to stare at Berwald. "Gilbert? Who is he?" he asked, still feeling shocked from the explosion.

The Swede felt like he got caught in a bear-trap, but there's no time to make excuses! "I need to go to those flats! You go find Peter and bring him back! I'll call you later!" With that, he immediately ran out the room, seizing his car keys as he descended down the stairs instead of taking the time-consuming elevator.

Beeping, the car unlocked as Berwald opened the door, dove inside and suddenly sped off down the road. His heart raced, and he knew he's going to be in trouble for not wearing his seatbelt, but screw it!

The ambulances have already beaten him to the scene as expected, but it was total chaos. The area was quiet before this happened, but now there are a lot of spectators milling near the scene behind a line of policemen. Berwald parked the car quickly and ran out to greet one of the officers, which happened to be Arthur himself. The Englishman raised his eyebrows in surprise when the taller man stormed over to him.

"Mr Oxenstierna! What a surprise!" he exclaimed. When Berwald tried to push past, the policeman stepped in front of him, arms outstretched. "No, you cannot go past!"

"Gilbert is in there!" Berwald ranted and tried to run past again, but Arthur seized his lower arms with a glare. Berwald could easily overpower him, but right now he's glaring at Arthur as a warning. "Let me go!"

"I can't! It's my duty to protect the public!" Arthur countered. Suddenly the other male stepped back and charged past him, bumping shoulders and managing to run to the blazing building. The front doors were already opened (or blasted open) so the Swede immediately went inside. But as soon as he went inside he stumbled and tripped over a body lying on the floor. He did not notice it at first because of the haze of smoke milling in the air and obscuring some of his vision, but when he peered at the face of the unfortunate victim, he recognised the person as the old woman who shouted at Gilbert for making a racket when he took Berwald to his flat for the first time. She's dead now.

The Swede quickly jumped to his feet and pressed his arm against his mouth and nose as he ascended the stairs towards the thicker clouds of smoke, shouting above the racket of the fire alarm for Gilbert or anyone who are still stuck behind.

"Gilbert!" he cried out with a muffled voice as he advanced on up to the second floor. Doors have been left open from people who escaped in a panic earlier and he carried on shouting for Gilbert. His eyes were stinging from the heated smog lingering in the air and he felt his throat dry up the longer he remained on that floor.

Just as he took a step forward, he realised now why it is really hot. Through the dark smoke he could see gigantic flames towering to the ceiling, burning fiercely. Berwald quickly stepped back and shielded his face when an inferno rushed towards him and he fell back to the floor out of instinct to protect himself. He couldn't get through to get to Gilbert's flat. He doesn't even know where he exactly is right now and he feels as if he's been trapped inside an oven in the middle of the desert.

Behind him, loud footsteps slammed against the stone ground along with muffled yells of the firemen and firewomen as they charged up the stairs with the fire hoses. They weren't switched on yet, but then one of the workers immediately pulled at Berwald's arm to yank him to his feet, pulling him behind them.

What happened next was a blur as Berwald got whisked outside the building and he fell to his knees, staring at the ground while coughing into his hand, tears streaming down his face. He can hear the sound of the hoses going off inside the building while some flames died, but the top half of the block is still completely ablaze like a gigantic candle. But the more he focused his hearing with his eyes shut, the more screams he can detect from inside the block…

A person dressed in a white uniform knelt down in front of him, quickly asking questions, but their words blurred in his mind. All thoughts were focused on nobody else but Gilbert.

"G-Gilbert…" Berwald croaked, rubbing his eyes and knocking his glasses off. The woman in front of him nodded and touched his arm lightly. She was petite and short with her hair pulled back into a bun. She picked up his glasses for him.

"Come with us to the hospital and we'll get you something for your eyes and hands. You have been burned, sir," she stood up and held his lower arm, guiding him to a waiting ambulance. The fabric material of his shirt sleeves have been completely scorched and they fell off into small charred bits while he stumbled along, feeling weak. The Swede allowed the young woman to walk him into the back of the vehicle, where she quickly ordered the driver to drive.

The ambulance zoomed away from the council area with no sign of the fire calming down.

* * *

><p>Activity buzzed within the hospital as bodies of the dead and living are transported inside through A&amp;E. Berwald's case wasn't as bad as he originally thought, as his hands and lower arms only sustained first-degree burns and his breathing test was passed as clear. His eyesight has not been compromised in any way though a doctor handed him a note explaining what eyedrops he'll need.<p>

But Gilbert… he has not heard anything about him, but the kindly woman who helped him said that she'll report to him if she hears anything about him. Berwald silently doubted her while he sat outside one of the many wards, he just feels like there's nothing anyone could do. With a fire as fierce and gigantic as the one in the flats, what hope is there of recovering someone or anything?

A glass of water appeared in front of him and he blinked before looking up at the woman, who gave him a reassuring smile, but it seemed hesitant. "I have good news, sir. We have your friend, but…"

Berwald's heart almost leaped at the news and he stood up quickly, looking at the woman.

"But… she's in pretty bad shape. Without using technical jargon, I'll get to the point." She sighed softly, "…The fire personnel found her crushed under some rubble that had been weakened, causing a lot of internal bleeding. She's fine now, but the baby didn't make it."

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry for the short chapter...


	14. Hospital

Berwald stared at the nurse in evident shock, eyes widening.

"The… baby?" he whispered. His heart is pounding wildly. "No, are you sure it's Gilbert? White male and albino? Was he wearing a woman's outfit? M-maybe you misgendered him?"

The nurse bit her lip, shaking her head.

"She is a young albino woman or a transsexual, but if you would like to come see her and ascertain her identity, then that'll help us with the paperwork," she suggested and turned her back, walking slowly for Berwald to hurry after her.

"I've only seen Gilbert cross-dress once…" he remarked to himself, "today, when we went out together."

The nurse led him up the stairs until they made it to the intensive care unit. Doctors and nurses rushed around with bodies and live patients strapped to wheeled beds with the wheels squeaking loudly and doors slammed open and shut. The bustling activity made Berwald's head spin, but the nurse walking into the corridor to early-arrivals snapped his attention to her and he ran after her, dodging past wailing patients and flustered health care workers and screaming children. Soon, Berwald was led into a room with a groaning patient moaning away while another 3 laid back in their beds, either catatonic from fear or sleeping. The last patient was put away in the corner, being hidden by pure white curtains with a window view.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt? You have a visitor," the kindly nurse spoke softly through a gap in the curtains. Berwald's heart beat fast again when he heard a pained cry and the nurse nodded, turning to the Swede.

"We've treated him earlier, but his doctor will come back again for another check-up later. You may spend half an hour with him at most. Have a nice day, sir," the nurse bowed a little and walked past him to occupy herself in work.

Berwald took a deep breath and stepped close to the curtains, nudging the light fabric aside to peek in on Gilbert. It took him all of his strength to not tear his gaze away as he registered the sight before him; Gilbert lying back in bed with a respirator mask covering half his face, his hair almost completely singed off and raw blisters smothering his face, hands, arms… There is a pungent, burning smell in the air that made Berwald wish that he could open the window, but he held his breath and stepped into the cubicle to sit down beside the bed, reaching out to touch Gilbert's reddened hand, but the light touch made the man gasp loudly and tremble all over, clenching his teeth together to bite back a cry. His Swedish visitor's hand retreated, settling for just sitting there while feeling awkward.

"I-I'm sorry. It's me, Berwald," he apologised, speaking gently. Gilbert eventually relaxed, breathing a little heavily and shut his eyes. His eyelashes seemed to have gone.

"What… what on earth happened to the flats…?" Berwald asked, "it's been literally minutes when I last saw you leave me, but then your home…"

Gilbert silently shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut but tears rolled down his cheeks and he sniffled. His friend took a tissue from the box of the bedside cabinet and reached over, dabbing his cheeks and nose carefully but it didn't seem to bother the patient.

"I'll take care of you, Gilbert," Berwald whispered gently and leant down to kiss his cheek. "You'll get better soon anyway. This hospital is one of the best in the country. Thankfully your health care will be funded by the taxpayer, so don't you worry about money. I'll even let you stay at my home; I got a spare bedroom anyway. Tino wouldn't mind, and Peter will probably be too hyperactive because he likes visitors. I think you'll actually get along with him perfectly, but don't be offended if he stares at you – I don't think he ever met an albino person before. …Gilbert?"

Gilbert just tilted his head to glance at him, as silent as a stone. He's looking at him with interest, but did not say a word or utter a single noise to acknowledge him.

"Gilbert? Are you alright?" Berwald's heart dropped. "Can you… talk at all?"

The German just gulped and closed his eyes, looking away from him. His arms remained lying by his sides, unmoving while his hands clenched until his knuckles became whiter. The blisters on his hands broke apart and began to bleed a little, alerting Berwald's attention.

"Oh, Gilbert…" he mumbled and took a fresh tissue from the box to press against the bleeding sores. It made the albino's arms twitch, but didn't make any attempt to move away and allowed Berwald to wipe the blood until a doctor came into the cubicle.

"Hello there, sir, I'm afraid you'll have to leave now, Gilbert needs her tests now," the doctor kindly advised Berwald.

"It's a he, doctor," he reminded him bitterly, "it should be on his medical records."

The doctor didn't take offence to his tone, but instead looked at his clipboard.

"Until she is able to talk again, we'll have to presume her sex is female because of her baby."

Berwald almost did a double-take when he realised that he already heard of this before.

"Is it true?" he asked quickly. "Was he pregnant at all? No mistake at all?"

The doctor took his glasses off to wipe them clean.

"10 years of working in Egypt will tell me that only women with healthy wombs are able to sustain and birth foetuses," he spoke calmly. "It's beyond a shadow of doubt that Gilbert was pregnant with one child."

It's as if Berwald's been winded.

"B-but…" he stammered. The doctor casually sat in the chair on the other side of Gilbert's bed, checking his stats on a computer screen.

"Everything looks fine, Gilbert, but you'll have to stay until tomorrow since your burns are serious," he explained. "Now… how do you feel?"

Gilbert did look up at him, but said nothing and shook his head.

"I see… nod for yes, shake for no. Do you feel as if you cannot talk at all?" the doctor asked quietly.

Gilbert nodded and took a deep breath.

"Do you feel scared, even when you're safe in this hospital?"

The patient hesitated, but unsurely nodded and shook his head.

"One last question. Now, because you're a new patient and there are no records of you in any medical establishment in this country, we have no address or relatives that we could contact. Do you know someone in this country that you live with?"

To Berwald's surprise, Gilbert nodded and raised his arm to gesture at him. The doctor gave him a small glance and wrote on his paper.

"That'll be all. I'll come back tomorrow to discharge you from hospital in the morning. Now, if there's anything you want, just ring the bell and a nurse will come running. You may use that pen and paper on the side table to help communicate, because you seem to have PTSD. It may not be in my specific area of medical health, but I could see that the fire traumatised you greatly. And I am sorry for the loss of your baby."

* * *

><p>Throughout the night, despite being told by one nurse to leave, Berwald stayed by Gilbert's side. The German stared up at the ceiling with glazed eyes, stuck between crying and giving up hope in life while Berwald watched his expression sadly without any regard for the time. He reached out to touch his friend's hand gently, but this time Gilbert intertwined his fingers around his, giving it a squeeze and tried to smile at Berwald, but his lips only quivered and he looked away, trying not to cry in front of the Swede and sobs shook his whole weakened body.<p>

Berwald's heart tore at the saddening sight and squeezed his hand in return, lifting it to kiss his crusty knuckles before settling their hands back on the sheets. Without breaking contact, he shuffled his chair close to the bed so that he can lay his head down on Gilbert's shoulder, taking a deep breath.

"Goodnight, Gilbert. I love you."

* * *

><p>In the morning, a nurse walked in on them sleeping, but smiled a little and gently shook Berwald's shoulder, stirring him from his sleep. Berwald grunted a little and let go of Gilbert's warm hand to stretch his arms and cricked his neck.<p>

"Morning, sir, we are going to discharge your friend in a while," the nurse commented. "And you have visitors waiting for you down in the lobby."

"Huh? Me?" Berwald blinked and paled, realising who it could be. His family.

He ran down to the lobby as fast as he could, panting heavily, when he reached Tino and Peter waiting in the lobby with concerned faces.

"Dad! Is it true that you saved someone from the massive fire?!" Peter spoke excitedly. "You're a hero! My dad is a hero!"

Some other visitors 'aww'ed at his happiness and Tino hushed him.

"Peter, we're in a hospital, calm down! And as for you, Berwald…" his eyes narrowed into a glare toward Berwald, who gulped and stood up straight. "You worried the hell out of me and Peter! What were you thinking, diving into things as if you're some stupid American hero?!"

"I had to—" Berwald choked out, determined to get his word in edgeways, "Gilbert lived in those flats! If I hadn't come, he'd…" He slowed down, rethinking that night over again in his mind as if he wasn't plagued by the memories during his uncomfortable sleep. He didn't save Gilbert. He saved nobody. Not even that elderly lady, even if she _looked_ dead, but the possibility of her barely alive weighed guilt into his soul.

Tino was frowning, but reached over to hug him tightly and Peter joined in, hugging them around their waists.

"Dad is still a hero, you know!" Peter piped up angrily at Tino, "only heroes will turn up in hospitals to see how their loved ones are doing!"

Berwald flinched at that, but quickly spoke. "Gilbert's a co-worker, though."

Peter beamed innocently. "A boss who saves their employees is the BEST kind of hero!"

His adoptive father laughed a little and so did Tino when they heard someone approach them and they looked to see Gilbert in spare hospital clothes, smiling sheepishly as he tried not to fiddle with his bandages around his arms. His head was bandaged too.

"Oh, Gilbert…" Berwald spoke up, surprised to see him standing and smiling, "how do you feel?"

"He looks like an Ancient Egyptian Mummy!" Peter cheered, staring at Gilbert in fascination. The German blinked at the boy and smiled a little wider.

"Peter, don't be rude!" Tino scolded him, but Gilbert shook his head and waved his hand a little.

Berwald looked at him worriedly. "Can you talk yet?"

His friend shook his head sadly, looking down.

"Oh my goodness… can't he talk?" Tino whispered to his husband.

"No, he's been traumatised," he murmured back and reached over to take Gilbert's hand. "Have they discharged you?"

Gilbert nodded in response.

"Did you sign some papers?"

Gilbert snorted and nodded, tugging his hand away.

"I think you're being a little overbearing, Ber," Tino chuckled. "Well how about we give him a lift back home—oh." He stopped, slightly horrified, "I'm so sorry, I forgotten you…"

Gilbert shrugged.

"Tino, could he stay with us until he finds someplace else to live?" Berwald asked Tino, desperately hoping in his heart that he would agree. He wants Gilbert as close as possible no matter what more than anything.

Tino looked unsure, however. "I'm not sure… we do have the spare room, but would he mind staying with us and a child?"

They looked to see Peter babbling away to Gilbert, who smiled politely and nodded at the right moments. He took a pen and paper from his pocket and drew weird creatures that made the little boy go 'wow' and ask for more cartoon pictures. Berwald smiled.

"Looks like they're getting on well already," Berwald chuckled, but then his face dropped and he lowered his voice, "he's… he's a transsexual, and he was pregnant, but he got crushed by falling rubble, so he lost his baby to internal bleeding."

"Oh my god…" Tino gasped, quickly glancing at the albino and looked to his husband.

"He's probably quiet as he is now because of the shock, but I feel that if we could look after him for a while, he may get his voice back," Berwald explained. Even when Tino looked unsure, he smiled anyway.

"Sure! Let's have him around for a while. Besides, like you said, Peter seems to adore him."

Peter ran up to them, happily brandishing a picture of a wurst with cat ears and a tail, and swore that he'll buy a photo frame to keep the picture clean and preserved for good.

* * *

><p>AN: Ok, I am SO SORRY for taking so long to update, but I'm glad I did! Will update soon-


	15. Recovery and Discovery

When the family took Gilbert home, they showed him around the fancy apartment and where everything is and Tino and Peter chatted to Gilbert more, even though he's gone mute. He still replied with nods and smiles or head-shaking. Peter has really taken to the albino and walked around with him a lot except when Gilbert needed the bathroom and the little boy respected his privacy by waiting outside until the German re-emerged.

Tino didn't mind Gilbert living with them at all. Berwald was most relieved by his calm attitude towards the new resident, and it seemed to stop the Finn from attacking him randomly. But since Tino's taken some of the new medication that Ivan secretly sent to their address, he's been relaxed all the time. Almost TOO relaxed. It worried Berwald, having his husband take medicines that a stranger sent them, but they didn't seem to harm Tino, so he's taken a sigh of relief. The medicines came in simple boxes labelled as legitimate drugs, courtesy of Ivan.

"I don't know where you find these pills, Ber, but they're doing wonders for us and our marriage," Tino cheerfully remarked, snuggling close to his husband one night. Berwald smiled and ruffled his hair, kissing his forehead.

"I'm glad they're helping you," he murmured. He hugged the smaller male around his waist. "How's things going with Eduard then? Is he helping you?"

"Well…" Tino began, "we just talk about how our lives have been since we left university, and a lot has happened since we graduated. For instance, I got married to the best husband in the world," he chuckled and nuzzled Berwald's neck, "while Eduard carried on with psychology studies and wrote his own paper."

"It sounds like he doesn't have much time for a social life," Berwald said.

"He does have the time, but he doesn't really have any friends that he knows well to hang out with, until I met him at the supermarket," Tino replied with a smile, "he was the only friend of mine who can tolerate my liquorice addiction back at uni."

"Aha, I see," his husband chuckled and hugged him close again, feeling glad the bedsheets are keeping the warmth in.

"Berwald, is Gilbert feeling okay?" Tino suddenly asked.

That took the Swede by surprise. "Huh? How do you mean?"

"Well… I wasn't expecting him to be chatty or move around that much, but he seemed to be feeling down a lot lately, even when Peter's around," Tino explained. "Peter really enjoys talking to him a lot as well, though he doesn't seem to notice Gilbert's low mood."

Berwald began to think, sighing softly, as he remembered everything that he knows about Gilbert, Gilbert's family, his job, his boss…

"Well… he lost his baby, so he's probably feeling the shock of that right now, rather than feeling trauma sooner."

"That's so terrible…" Tino mumbled and shut his eyes. "If anything happened to Peter, I'd never forgive myself. Even if Gil's baby wasn't born, I'd feel bad if it was me…"

Berwald simply kissed his forehead again, giving him a tight hug. "He'll be fine if we keep an eye on him. These things take time to heal."

How long it takes for time to heal wounds, he'll never know and neither will anyone, including you.

* * *

><p>It's been 5 days since Gilbert moved in with them when Berwald's mobile began to ring unexpectedly. He was sitting at the table eating some breakfast when the device went off.<p>

"Huh? A call?" he murmured and answered the call. "Oxenstierna, speaking."

_"Berwald, my dear comrade…~"_ a voice cooed and the Swede almost dropped his mobile in shock.

"…Ivan?"

_"Da, I'm so happy you remembered me~! I was so worried since I saw you go into the burning flats to rescue Gilbert, but it seems as if you're both alive now."_

Berwald glanced up across the table to see Peter and Tino happily chat together while washing their dishes. Gilbert isn't around as he's currently sleeping away in the guest room. Nobody should be listening in on the phone conversation.

"What do you want?" Berwald hissed.

_"Only Gilbert, silly,"_ Ivan chuckled, _"but at my club, I noticed that my best stripper has been missing for a few days and I had a few disappointed war lords who had to make do with the less experienced workers. I want Gilbert back and working for me immediately."_

"Like I would allow that," the Swede snarled into the phone, but calmed down and looked up just as Tino glanced over with a curious frown.

"Berwald? What's wrong?" he asked, blinking. Berwald raised his hand to signify that he's busy and quickly got off his seat to leave the apartment and went outside to stand in the empty corridor, shutting the door behind him. The walls and door are soundproof, so hopefully nobody will listen in on him.

_"What was that, Berwald?"_ Ivan giggled, _"interlopers?"_

"No, my family, the one you threatened to kill, remember?" the man grumbled.

_"Oh yes! I remember now! Though I'd love to torture Tino in my own special way…~"_ the Russian cooed.

"What. Do. You. Want?" Berwald growled, trying not to yell.

_"I just want Gilbert to come back to work for me. I have excellent make-up artists who can hide his scars in no time, and this time I want you to come back to be his little toy from 6pm until 9pm as usual everyday."_

"What's the point? Seriously?"

_"You know too much of everything that I do, Oxenstierna. All you have to do is get laid with Gilbert and I won't kill your family or expose this little scandal to the press about a family man who's cheating on his husband with an illegal immigrant. Not the best movie plot, but it's really easy to not do as I say,"_ Ivan laughed softly.

Berwald leant back against the wall, staring ahead as he slid down to sit on the floor. "Just don't hurt anyone… In the end, you're just gonna go back on your word and ruin everything…"

_"On the contrary, Berwald, everything that we are doing right now will lead to bigger and better things in life that will benefit the two of us,"_ the other man disagreed. _"It's a secret that I know right now, but I'll let you know more about my grand plan later on. Just go to the club with Gil, get laid and go home and everything will fall into place. Get Gilbert's arse to the club tonight."_

With that, the phone call got cut off.

Berwald sighed heavily. He was going to bring up the subject of Gilbert's injuries and his mute state, but he couldn't since Ivan cut him off.

* * *

><p>"What? You and Gilbert are going to do the night shift?" Tino asked, confused.<p>

Berwald got his coat on while Gilbert silently did up the buttons on his new coat. They both know what they got to do tonight.

"Yes, we are," the Swede lied, "a couple of co-workers are off sick tonight, so we're standing in to do their job."

"Awww but I wanna play on the game station with Gilbert!" Peter complained from where he was sitting on the sofa. Gilbert just gave him a small wave and an apologetic smile.

"Maybe tomorrow afternoon after school," Berwald chuckled, "Gilbert and I are very busy men, Peter."

* * *

><p>Gilbert's burns have partially healed up thanks to the aloe vera cream that Tino's been buying and using on him, but even now they're still sensitive to the touch. It's a problem when you have an activity as physical as sex being carried out on a burn victim's body.<p>

In the car on the way to the sleazy district where the Starlight Glitter club is at, Berwald spoke to Gilbert encouragingly, saying how he'll go as gently as possible.

"Besides… Ivan's not that cruel, right? I can't just hurt you, even by accident. I'd hate myself for years if I hurt you. I'll be gentle, and you can just relax as much as possible."

But as soon as they arrived into the designated room where the large round bed is with all the red-coloured decorations and cheesy lighting, Ivan stepped into the room with them with a small smile.

"Hello, boys. You actually turned up on time! So that means I won't have to randomly kill someone to relieve my anger," he chuckled. He stepped over to them and stroked Gilbert's hair, which is still shorter than usual. The albino resisted the urge to whack him in the face. "You look a whole lot better now, Gil. I'm rather happy about that."

Gilbert said nothing, pursing his lips and shrugged.

"What are you doing here, Ivan?" Berwald asked in mild confusion. "We arrived on time, so what're you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just here to see if the rumour of Gil going mute is true," the Russian replied. His hand reached down to hold the German's chin in his fingers and moved his head to look at his pinkish skin, examining him like he's a piece of meat. Licking his lips, he let go and turned to leave the room, but stopped short without facing the room's occupants. "Oh, and go rough tonight, Oxenstierna. I want him to have his voice back as soon as possible."

"What?!" Berwald snapped angrily, "No! I'm not hurting him! I'm going gentle!"

There was an eerie silence that persisted in the room before Ivan glanced over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow. "That's an order, Oxenstierna. I want you to make him scream. I have a nasty surprise for you and Gilbert if you don't do as I say."

* * *

><p>Gilbert was the first to undress, simply shedding all his clothes to the floor nonchalantly while his companion watched with some dismay.<p>

"Gilbert, I'm really sorry I couldn't convince him…" Berwald began weakly.

The German stopped undressing to raise an eyebrow at him. Berwald's sure that he really hates him right now. But then he carried on taking his clothes off until nothing remained and the albino climbed onto the round bed, watching Berwald with those red eyes. His lips moved, but no words came out. He was mouthing something. _Hurry up._

With a silent sigh, Berwald took his jacket off, his shirt, shoes, socks, trousers, underwear until nothing remained and he also clambered onto the bed to sit in front of his friend, suddenly feeling shy and exposed.

"Gilbert, if I hurt you, just hit me or something to let me know—" he spoke, but the German leant over to kiss him briskly, resting his hands on his stomach. His hands are cold and they made the skin on Berwald's stomach flinch, but then they held his hips to pull their bodies close together and they kissed again.

Despite their steamy session going on for a long while, with many climaxes being caused by Gilbert's skills, Gilbert himself didn't say a word. Berwald wasn't worried, because hey, if you're having a good time with a skilled hooker, you wouldn't be thinking about many things.

Just as they panted during a quick break, the door suddenly opened and they sat up quickly in surprise. Ivan walked in, humming happily.

"You two did a great job tonight, but I'm not hearing anything from the songbird…" he glanced at Gilbert.

"What do you want now, Ivan?" Berwald asked, trying not to glare at him.

Ivan reached out to Gilbert's hair, stroking it again with is bare hand and grinned. "Oh, nothing much. I just want to join in on the action with you two, since my little toy is off sick from yesterday's heavy romp…~"

Berwald and Gilbert glanced at each other, sharing worried looks. But then Ivan laughed hard and patted the German's back.

"Just kidding! Oh, it's so fun to tease you two…" he chuckled before pulling his mobile out of his pocket. He touched the screen to unlock it and brought up a photo. "But Matthew here seems to enjoy being teased more than you two do."

For a moment, Gilbert frowned as he seemed to remember something before he grit his teeth and pointed at his mobile as if he's demanding to know something.

"Yes, this is your neighbour, Matthew," Ivan hummed and showed him the picture. It was an image of a young man sitting on a chair in a dimly-lit room while being unconscious. His hands were behind the chair while his shirt was missing with marks scattered on his chest.

"What are you doing with him!?" Berwald ranted, holding a struggling Gilbert close by his wrists to stop him from ripping Ivan to shreds.

Ivan shrugged. "Nothing. Just teasing him like I said. Oh, don't give me that look, Gilbert, I'm not hurting him that badly… yet. You gotta talk soon, or I will hurt him. You can't just shut down and leave your friend in worse danger."

But Gilbert didn't listen and tried to kick out at the Russian, only to have Berwald quickly lie him down on the bed face-first and weighed him down with his own body.

"Don't, Gilbert! You'll make things worse for Matthew!" he quickly spoke.

"That's right, Berwald, you're just as reasonable as Toris. Maybe not as submissive, but just as reasonable," Ivan commented with a soft laugh. "We should do it in my office you know if Gilbert's ever too tired or sick to come in for his special times with you."

Berwald huffed and looked away. "Like hell I would."

"Well… there's a small print to our conditions of these meet-ups," Ivan said, "the both of you can't be off, but I won't do… 'nasty stuff' as long as one of you comes here. If either of you come along alone, then you can have fun with me in the office instead. It's nice and private in there."

* * *

><p>Later on, after they got showered at the club's private bathrooms, Berwald drove the car silently down the busy roads with Gilbert sitting beside him in the passenger seat.<p>

While they were stuck in the traffic jam, something amazing happened.

"Berwald…" a light voice rasped before Gilbert coughed.

His friend stared at him in shock before smiling greatly and reached over to give his hand a squeeze. "You can talk now?"

"I really couldn't talk back there, I just felt too scared to speak up or something," the German sighed heavily. "If I could, I'd curse that guy with every swears that I know."

"Yeah… Gilbert, I really needed to ask you something, but I couldn't before because you've gone mute," Berwald spoke quickly. The cars in front of him are still stuck in place, so they're not going anywhere right now. "The doctors said you were having a baby."

"Oh…" Gilbert murmured, looking down at his lap.

"I don't usually question qualified doctors, but… is it true that you're a woman?"

"Half and half," the German mumbled, "I started out as a woman when I came to this country, but after meeting Ivan, he got me to have operations to make me more desirable to clients. He was the only man who's keeping me safe and staying in this country."

"And your official name is Maria?"

"Ja, it is. But you can call me Gilbert since you're cool."

"And…" Berwald looked up to see if the traffic lights have changed, but they still remained their bright red colour. He glanced back to Gilbert. "Whose baby was it?"

Gilbert sighed, wiping his cheek. "It was Ivan's. I had a great night with some wealthy oil baron a few months ago and he gave me the biggest payment ever. And then I celebrated with Ivan for the rest of the night, just us in his office, and that's when it… it's been conceived."

That made Berwald's heart drop. "How did you know it was his?"

"Every guy I sleep with MUST wear protection – Ivan's brutally slaughtered people before for not adhering to the wearing protection rule," Gilbert snorted. "It's Ivan's way of making sure that his property isn't 'marked' by anyone else."

"So the baby was Ivan's…" Berwald murmured.

"Yeah… I didn't even know I was pregnant until I woke up in the hospital, but I shouldn't known from eating a lot more pancakes than normal…"

"So Ivan doesn't know about the baby?"

Gilbert shook his head. "Thankfully. And I hope he never finds out. Otherwise it'll plant in some humanity in that stupid heart of his and give him the ability to feel sympathy to everyone."

* * *

><p>"…The only chatter we heard on the bug planted in Berwald's car was about Berwald discussing with Gilbert on his hospital treatment," Toris spoke nervously to Ivan as they stood in the office. Ivan was converting a video footage of Berwald and Gilbert's sexual activities onto a blank DVD as the TVs in the offices were old and only played video cassettes.<p>

"Anything interesting?" Ivan yawned.

"Yes… it's about Gilbert, sir. He says that being crushed under the debris at the burning flats has killed his baby," Toris added.

The Russian boss raised an eyebrow, looking at the young man sceptically.

"Come now, Toris, I'm not in a mood to be joking around with you. Gilbert is a man."

"Not fully. He explained to Berwald that you had him transition into half-male half-female to make him more desirable to clients."

Ivan's stare became a glare and he rested his hand on Toris's shoulder. "Tell me you're joking around."

"I-I'm not, s-sir, I have the recording if you want to listen for yourself…" Toris gulped and the other man yanked his hand off him, storming over to his desk to sit down and seize a bottle of premium vodka, flipped the lid off and gulping a lot of the throat-burning liquid down before sighing heavily. He slammed the bottle back on the desk, giving his assistant a steely gaze.

"Now, Toris, unless you want me to tie you to this chair and have your legs dislocated again, use this opportunity to tell me the truth and let me listen to whatever recording you have."

Shivering, Toris fumbled in his pocket to pull out a small recorder and placed it on the table, pressing the play button before some sounds played.

"_And… Whose baby was it?"_

"_It was Ivan's. I had a great night with some wealthy oil baron a few months ago and he gave me the biggest payment ever. And then I celebrated with Ivan for the rest of the night, just us in his office, and that's when it… it's been conceived."_

"_How did you know it was his?"_

"_Every guy I sleep with MUST wear protection – Ivan's brutally slaughtered people before for not adhering to the wearing protection rule. It's Ivan's way of making sure that his property isn't 'marked' by anyone else."_

"_So the baby was Ivan's…"_

"_Yeah… I didn't even know I was pregnant until I woke up in the hospital, but I shouldn't known from eating a lot more pancakes than normal…"_

"_So Ivan doesn't know about the baby?"_

"_Thankfully. And I hope he never finds out. Otherwise it'll plant in some humanity in that stupid heart of his and give him the ability to feel sympathy to everyone."_

SMASH!

Toris yelped and stumbled back as Ivan slammed his fist on the recorder to shatter it into hundreds of pieces. One slam was enough to render the device useless for good. While Ivan's hand began to bleed, Toris gulped and immediately ran off to grab the first aid kit before returning to tend to the cuts with plasters and swabs. Luckily nothing dug into his skin, but Ivan was eerily silent while watching the young man clean his cuts and add the plasters over them.

"S-sir? Is something wrong?" Toris asked, body shaking as he mentally prepared himself to run away.

Ivan shook his head, saying nothing while staring at him.

"I was going to be a father, Toris," he spoke blankly.

Toris sighed and hung his head low. "I know, sir."

"But I killed my own child."

"It was inadvertent, sir. You had no idea."

"I only wanted to scar Gilbert, to teach him a lesson for meeting that Berwald and being friends with him…"

"I'm sure there are better ways of letting him know about your disapproval rather than nearly kill him…"

Suddenly, Ivan chuckled before laughing hard. He pressed his hand against his face, trying to hold back his snickering, but he couldn't stop sounding so jovial.

"I just killed the only thing that Gilbert could've used to legally stay in the country and not depend on me to keep him in this country! And to think that I would've killed him if I knew he was pregnant!" he snorted and laughed loudly, slamming the desk with is free hand. He could barely contain himself. Toris stared at him in confusion, not getting how he could look so sad before being so delighted.

After a few moments of having his laughing fit, Ivan relaxed and smiled, running his hand through his hair while looking over Toris.

"Toris, dump your stuff and sit on my lap, I'm in a good mood now…" he purred, unbuttoning the buttons on his long coat. This perplexed the young man, but he couldn't help but obey him and stepped around the desk to fall into his arms, breathing in the scent of gunfire and alcohol with a very slight smile. Ivan's hands held his hips to pull him further up his lap, rubbing their groins together and Toris bit his lip, feeling his ears heat up.

"I'm still hurt from yesterday…" he murmured, but he still unzipped his own trousers hurriedly, looking at Ivan with a confusing load of conflicting emotions varying from fear, lust, love, hope.

* * *

><p>AN: Finally back and updating stuff! As I said in my other fic, I got a job so I probably won't update much, but I'm glad I updated this.


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